Subduing a Fox
by SynneFox
Summary: Politics, stalkers, assassinations and unwilling lovers. If it's not one thing, it's the other. All Uzumaki Naruto wants is a little peace. All Uchiha Sasuke wants is a little blonde. All Uchiha Itachi wants is revenge and poor Deidara is caught in the middle. Modern AU. Graphic.
1. Chapter 1

**[A/N] Soo! This is my newest fic! I've been tossing the idea of a Naruto fic around my head for a while but didn't act on it for a moment. Unlike other SasuNaru fics I don't want this to be cheap, so I'm definitely investing time to give you guys plot, originality and character authentication. You guys no I like keeping character, but I will say the only one that should seem a little OOC, outside of different jobs, will be Naruto. I'm making him a bit more level headed and nonviolent then our beloved 'beat em' up' blonde. So, without further ado, ENJOY!  
>Edit: <strong>Rewritten. I would recommend everyone reread simply because I changed somethings to keep consistency.

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><p><strong>Subduing a Fox<strong>

**Chapter One**

The ringing ended abruptly as a smooth bass answered. "Mmmm, I take it you were successful?" That wasn't a question.

"I was. I always am." Sasuke flipped through a manila envelope as he haphazardly watched the road to assure his car didn't crash him on autopilot. "I'm verifying now; it seems like everything you wanted. I'll leave it in the usual place."

There was a moment's pause. "Good, I have another job for you."

Sasuke growled just enough for the other man to hear. He had just gotten back from a rather high risk job outside the country before being ordered to snag some competition info for his brother. It wasn't like he couldn't perform his job under duress, but he was currently operating on less than twelve hours of sleep for five days. Putting himself in harm's way in his condition was just more risk topping his already growing pile. "Itachi, you do realize I have another life and have not slept in far too long?"

"Are you implying you can't handle this, Otouto? Simply say so and I will assign it to a group of your subordinates."

He looked at the phone now, scowling at it before he snapped his wrist, flinging the manila envelope into the passenger's seat, crinkling the papers. All of a sudden, he didn't give a damn. "Understood. Send me the briefing." With that he hung up on his ever-so-infuriating older brother. Uchiha Itachi, the godsend prodigy, golden child. Itachi had been the reason their father could die happy with no regrets. The man was calm, intuitive and patient as he was ruthless; all in all everything Sasuke wanted to be. Yet, he had never really developed the kindled jealousy most in his situation would have. What he did possess was irrational adoration for the frigid, cruel man. Itachi knew it and Sasuke knew that Itachi had full knowledge of his hold over him. As it was, Sasuke was head ninja of their clan, while Itachi was it's patriarch. Whatever his Aniki assigned him, as head ninja of the Uchiha, he fulfilled it.

Dusk was just ending as the moon gave itself up to view. A paper slid up from the built in fax machine inserted in the armrest. He read it, scowled deeper, and reprogramed his designated course in his built in GPS. This night was going to take longer than he wanted.

"You know what this means, don't you?"

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><p>Sabaku no Gaara turned his khol rimmed, sea foam green eyes onto his purple faced brother. Of course he knew what this meant. He was a twenty-one year old with a dead father that he never cared for and the sudden responsibility to fill his shoes as Kazekage. Instead of saying such, he decided his brother was no longer worthy of his gaze and continued to stare out at the stark dry landscape that was his home. He was uneasy; though no one slight of one person would have been able to tell that. He needed that person now, needed to actually talk things through even if talking wasn't his strong point. He knew that person would listen, would help him sort out his feelings, because that person had always been there for him, always was and always would be. He realized, rather belatedly, that his brother was still talking. "Kankuro, shut up." He droned; his voice as dry and abrasive as the trickle of sand that constantly wound around him, embracing him, comforting him. Absently he ordered it back into the large metal bangle that hung on his wrist.<p>

"Don't you care at all about Father's killer?!" Kankuro seemed to shriek.

There was a pause. "Not particularly." When there was a surprised gasp, he amended his statement. "However I understand that for Sunagakure, there must be justice."

Temari nodded and nervously played with her fan, causing a massive breeze. Gaara felt his eye tick. He hated when she did that. "Apparently there was some interesting evidence left behind at the crime scene, but the detective said he couldn't speak about it until they were absolutely sure." Temari explained. The red head simply nodded. "Gaara, the coronation has already been set."

He sighed and turned toward his sister. "To when?"

"A few months from now." She deadpanned.

Gaara growled in annoyance. So soon? Damn, that barely gave him time to adjust. He turned to Kankuro. "Book me a flight to Konoha."

An eyebrow rose. "You sure now is the time to go-" A narrowed glare sent Kankuro out of the room and on his way to obedience.

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><p>"Hinata-sama, this one as well?" Neji asked wearily.<p>

"Hai, hai. He was adamant about this one too."

Neji sighed. "Hinata-sama, you do realize we've given over eight-million to his charities, right?" Not that it had made a dent in their bank accounts.

Hinata blushed slightly. "Hai, hai, just a little more Neji-niisan. We have to be Naruto-kun's number one supporters." Her blush intensified. "It lo-looks good for the clan too right? Since he'll be the future Hokage and all."

Even as she was saying this Neji knew these were not the reasons. Hinata had been infatuated with one Naruto Uzumaki since grade school, and now as a twenty-one year old medical student and heiress, she had yet to do a damn thing about it. "Of course Hinata-sama. How is two-million for this particular cause?"

She brightened considerably. "Yes, of course. Two-million is excellent Neji-niisan. I'll run and call Naruto now."

Neji began to click around and type the necessary accounting information on the charities website. He had been to countless charity functions and knew that Naruto was a major philanthropist. As it was, Neji would rather call the blonde a big swirl of sympathy, or even better, a sucker. He couldn't count how many times he had bailed the empty headed future Hokage from spending his money on another scam covered with a sob story. Naruto was a sucker for a good sob story. Actually it was pretty well known just _how much_ of a sucker Naruto really was, but the Hyuugas were not.

It turned out having the Hyuugas as official benefactors to his charities helped add some validity. It became somewhat vital for Naruto to sell whatever recent idea of philanthropy he was having to Neji and Hinata Hyuuga before anyone else. And this role of importance Hinata was just eating up with a fork, knife and spoon.

Neji sighed. He didn't see Naruto wising up to his cousin's feelings anytime soon. His cellphone alerted him of a message and he absently reached across the desk to check it before his eyes widened and he looked around to make sure Hinata was nowhere near him. He pushed dial.

"Hai." Came the expected response after the first ring.

"Explain." Neji demanded of his head ninja and younger cousin, Hinabi.

"The Kazekage has been assassinated. You received the picture, I filched, yes? No one is certain but I'm sure the heat will reach Konohagakure soon as the evidence is everything but evasive, there is absolutely no doubt. Expect the Sabakus down there shortly."

Neji was completely confused. Of course he could process the information but the motive? If this was concerning who he thought it was, he was more than a little lost on why exactly that man would order something like this done. There was absolutely nothing to gain...not that he could see. And Neji made it his business to see. "Understood, this is most insightful. Find out more information like a possible motive or if you can, strategies on how they plan to deal with this. Anything. No doubt they will bring this to the our government and Naruto will catch wind of it."

"Of course, Neji-sama." With that the line dropped just as Hinata passed in the hallway gushing more praise to a certain blonde.

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><p>Shikamaru Nara sighed. Not a sigh of sadness, frustration, or even anger. But a sigh of <em>'why the fuck is my life like this?'<em> He put his hand into a green glowing metal box, feeling the slight tingle as it read his biometric imprint, and the wide metal doors slid open with a hiss. He approached the daunting figure with two platinum blonde ponytails, ignoring the dozen or so bustling workers in the half-lit room. "Tsunade-sama." He drawled. "I have your intel."

"Good." She snapped in her usual tone never taking her eyes off the huge blinking screens and held out her hand. Shizune, her ever shadowing box of morality, took the papers from Shikamaru and passed them to Tsunade. Shikamaru didn't know why she bothered, she was just going to have him repeat everything anyway.

Shikamaru continued. "There are some leads they aren't sharing yet, saying they wish to run more ballistics before they release it. Other than that Kazekage procedures are running and Gaara should be being prepped." Shikamaru watched her nod and now beside her could just catch the worry in her eyes.

"He's going to want to see Naruto. Speaking of, the brat's current mission…?"

"Naruto is drawing up negotiations with the Hidden Mist right now. He has always been on good term with Hidden Mist officials so he really shouldn't have any trouble. They arrived here in Konoha about three days ago and he has been showing them a good time. Tonight was the night to finalize terms so I had the appropriate place booked and precautions taken." There was a terse silence where Shikamaru debated going into his other findings. "Speaking of precautions, we're going to have to change his medication."

It was eerie how suddenly that garnered the attention of the entire room. "Explain." shot Tsunade.

"Well Jiraiya sent me a report and...according to him Naruto's strain of Jinchuuriki has slightly evolved passed his current prescribed medication." There was mostly silence but also a few quiet gasps if you included Tsunade's drawn out exhale; as if she had been expecting this. "Nothing too dangerous of course, just some instinctual things. Apparently, knowing the Jinchuuriki disease is one that mutates blood cells and that Naruto's blood cells have **nine mutations or tails, his strain is regressing him back to more animalistic instincts. His humanity is certainly still there but his mating and danger habits are reverting back past intellectual thought. Or so he observed. He just wants permission to up the dosage if it becomes necessary."

Tsunade rubbed her chin and turned toward the large screens blinking with at least six different news channels and regular updates from her own staff. One screen showed Gaara and his siblings at a press conference, for once, all of them wearing the same face. "It's ominous he should mention this just as another Jinchuuriki host is planning to visit."

Shizune frowned at Tsunade's. "That young man never permitted any type of medication." She looked back to the disinterested looking red head who remained silent while his siblings talked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "He also doesn't have it nearly as bad with only one tailed mutations. At the most he just has some anger problems. Naruto actually regresses to the point where he can't speak human speech patterns."

"This is true." Tsunade reasoned. She turned toward her head Intelligence Agent. "Tell Jiraiya to let observe him closely, if things get out of hand he has permission to up the dosage."

Shikamaru nodded. "Understood." He left the briefing room and began his walk to the Jiriaya's office way down in the science wing. "What a bother."

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><p>Naruto swayed along the hallway, the slight buzz of sake still with him. He had just relieved himself and was ready to fall into blissful sleep. Having been selected to handle the Kirigakure case, Naruto was slowly gaining more political respect and trust with other nations. Support from neighboring countries was crucial when reaching for the title of Hokage. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Not that the spot wasn't already damn near guaranteed for him already; what with Tsunade-baachan holding it until he was ready.<p>

Naruto sighed contentedly, trying to find his way back to his room through the traditionally set hotel. Although it was nice to be invited somewhere so ritzy he was having trouble distinguishing the hallways with all the similar hardwood flooring. Each direction looked the same. Or maybe he had had too many glasses of rice champaign? Eh. Another sigh left him as he reasoned that he was good and lost. He supposed he would just wander until he came across an elevator, take it to the lobby and ask someone to escort him back to room...Ahh shit. What was his room number?

Naruto was in the middle of pondering when something struck him. It wasn't a sound, or a sight or anything more palatable than a whiff. A scent. Spicy, something hinted with the spice of...danger?...of...of what Naruto had no idea, but even his buzzed brain told him to follow the scent. It was male, the Kyuubi came to realize, as the more base part of his brain easily usurped his drunken consciousness. He put his nose in the air and inhaled silently, letting it fill his nose, his mouth, his throat until he could taste it. He most suddenly had the desire to find it. He _had_ to find it, and it was moving, skimming along just barely staying out of his reach. Slowly the blond grew more excited, his skin hummed with the act of hunting this spicy-scented hare. He wasn't positive when he began to walk lower to the floor, his hands sometimes aiding him like a four legged animal. The scent became stronger; like black cinnamon, if that made any sense. It began moving faster, farther away and Naruto's Kyuubi instincts told him he had been found out and the chase was on. He wasn't even running anymore, just flat out flitting with his feet and knuckles on the ground. He hit the back terrace just in time to see a black clad figure crouching on top of a spire on an adjacent building. They were very far up, and if Naruto had been operating sober he would note, perhaps seventy floors up.

But he wasn't. He was growling, low in his chest. Not a growl of anger or even defense, but of amusement and approval. Whoever this was, whatever this was, it was most enchanting. His partially purple eyes met those of cold black. For a moment in time they both did nothing but assess each other. Crouched on a point, arrogantly glaring with a raised brow, the figure made a slight scoffing notion with his head before, most literally, disappearing. With the scent gone, the red from Naruto's blue eyes left as well. And he was left standing on the balcony wondering just who that was and what he was doing on a floor reserved specifically for the Hidden Mist village.

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><p>"What are you talking about?" Was growled out across the expensive glass table where two glasses and a nearly full decanter rested. Anyone else would have been terrified; seeing as the slate-haired male nearly never rose his voice. Across from him sat, in his opinion, one of the slimiest people to ever do the world a disfavor by existing.<p>

Oorochimaru utilized his wide mouthed smirk. "Nothing you need worry you're pretty little head over. Just keep the other pretty little pet working in tip top order and nothing should come knocking at your door." He sang out slightly.

Itachi counted to one hundred before he spoke again. "I do not recall ordering any assignments outside of Sasuke."

"Well," The smirk became, if possible, creepier. "I took the liberty of asking for a favor since I have no clan of my own. You understand."

"Who was it?"

"Now that everything has been securely taken care of, I don't feel you need to worry about the little details."

"I mean-" Itachi took another, slower breath too keep from growling. "I mean, who did you send?"

"Again, an unnecessary detail."

"I think you forget who exactly the head of this clan is." The vein in his temple was throbbing to the sound of his heartbeat. Was it possible to kill this man yet?

All benevolence left the reptilian man immediately. "And I think you forget your place. Do you enjoy having a whole sibling?"

It worked every time. Itachi stopped existing for just long enough for those words to sink in. Sasuke. Yes, that was the reason he was enduring this. Just the thought of his baby brother ripped from his hands or not…whole, was enough to reel him in. Oorochimaru knew this well. "We had an agreement." Itachi returned to his soft spoken countenance. "You are far surpassing your own prescribed limits."

A shrug was given; like these limits he spoke of were of no consequence. "It seemed a bit of a dire situation so I suppose I jumped too quickly. None of that should really matter now." The smirk slowly grew to encompass his face once again. "You have your wonderful little brother, who is safe and sound, and I have….well my research. Everyone is happy, for now." The snake stood and made his way to the entrance to let himself out of Itachi's impressive office.

Only when he was gone did Itachi take a deep and relaxing breath. No, he could not kill that man, at least not now. He had decided to never tell Sasuke about Oorochimaru and the time he had been captive in that man's care. By his design Sasuke had simply forgotten it all. Blocked it out. Like that period of time never even happened, and Itachi made sure he never inquired about it. "I just have to persevere; until I find it." He whispered to himself. Until he saved his baby brother.

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><p>If Naruto could get any more excited he'd be literally bouncing down the walkway of Konoha Hi National University. He checked his phone for perhaps the fifth time since the half hour prior when he had received the message.<p>

'_Come pick me up at the airport, I need to talk to you before I do anything. My flight lands around 8 pm.'_

Damn, it was already five, he was going to have to leave now if he wanted to be on time picking him up; the airport was all the way on the other side of city. Naruto walked out of the Business Management building on campus towards the adjacent parking lot. Another few months and he would have his Master's in business and political science; two facts he was brimming with pride in. It was only natural for a future Hokage, was it not? He had just chosen to decline graduate housing and bought an apartment between KHNU and City Hall. Even though he was looked at as a political genius he was still only twenty-two and often treated like a kid.

It was twilight and the blonde was distracted, he couldn't wait to see Gaara, so he didn't notice the sleeping figure lying under a tree in the lush grass he was trampling over. "Gah!" Naruto blinked. On his way down, black eyes had shot open, twisted their bodies and were now boring into him from above. Knees were straddling left thigh and something sharp was pressed into his neck; a weapon? "Uh, hey, take it easy buddy, it was just an accident." The blonde one blanched.

"Hn," with a tsk Sasuke glared at Naruto with sudden recognition. It only took a moment before Sasuke had an overconfident assumption that he had nothing to worry about. He had been fully disguised the first time they had met.

Naruto squirmed a bit, clearly uncomfortable at not being able to get up. "Look I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." He smiled, a full genuine smile, one that could bring peace and end world hunger. It had little effect on the Uchiha beyond slight random curiosity; this face was so much different than the feral expression he had donned before. That and the boy's eyes were the most disconcerting shade of blue. The weapon was withdrawn but the Uchiha stayed where he was, his weight braced on his right forearm and his left hand.

"Use the walkway next time, Dobe." Sasuke knew he was just being rude. Firstly, he had, and was still currently, trapping the blonde man and openly insulting him when this should have been their first time meeting.

"Yeah." Naruto laughed sheepishly and went to push himself up, wincing slightly on his right side where Sasuke had forced him to land. The only part of Sasuke that moved with his eyebrow as Naruto hinted that he wanted to be released. "Uhhh," Things were really uncomfortable at this point, well uncomfortable for the blond. The brunet felt no shame, quite contrary he was taking this time to closely observe the bubbly student. There was a really awkward stand still where Naruto was quelled into silent submission and the Uchiha was reveling in his dominance, when a breeze wafted by.

In Sasuke's mind a breeze should have meant little to nothing, but suddenly the blonde was very still. Something was tickling Naruto in the back of his mind, some memory. Where… where had he smelled this before? Endorphins began usurping his rational thinking; the base part of him simply had to get closer to that scent. He was unconscious of his own body as he lifted his nose to the air, eyes fluttering closed as he tried to pick up the smell. He had to remember. It was sparse yet strong and masculine; it smelled of power…of danger. Just a whiff had him longing to bury his nose in the source. His chest purred, his eyes changing ever so slightly from a brilliant blue to a deep purple. He followed the scent; skimming his nose down a cheek, jawline, and into the neck of a somewhat entranced Sasuke. He didn't care that he was being gawked at, or that this was a complete stranger, he had to locate the source of that scent, it was….intoxicating. He continued, brushing aside Sasuke's right to personal space, just as the raven haired man had done to him.

Black Cinnamon. Images flared up. Last night, a large hotel, a brilliant moon behind an all-black clad figure. Obsidian eyes that spoke of a challenge, and an arrogant eyebrow raise before the body simply disappeared. The memories caused his rational self to flare once more, just to be eclipsed by the overwhelming desire to taste the source of the scent. Naruto let his long, textured tongue run from the base of that pale column up to just under an ear. Sasuke shivered and when he felt the slightest scraping of teeth. He fisted the shockingly yellow hair of the one under him and gave a harsh yank. Naruto bared his teeth in warning, though he made no move to extract himself from the other and Sasuke simply tightened his hold. A whimper let loose as hooded plum eyes stared into endless black pools and a pink tongue darted out to lick pouty lips. The Uchiha reflexively yanked on the hair in his hold; their faces were closer now. Sasuke drank in everything about this feral persona, his belly tightened in anticipation for something he wasn't even sure of yet. Why was he so out of breath? Feeling his brain muddling the raven haired male backed up a little, relaxing his grip ever so slightly. He witnessed the purple eyes bleed back to their blue, a stunned expression taking over Naruto's face.

Naruto lowered his body back into the ground, his hair still in the other's custody and said nothing while Sasuke waited with a stoic face. Neither of them spoke but both knew they recognized each other. Yet another silence filled the space between them, but this one was pregnant with decisions. Sasuke briefly wondered if he would have to kill this seemingly oblivious blonde. Finally Sasuke could take no more. "Well?" His tone was not as harsh as he meant for it to be. It had come out husky and ragged from the back of his throat. His brow rose again, challenging Naruto, a replica of the night before. Was he going to try and do something? Expose him? Run to the Konoha government that he practically had eating out of his hand. "Uzumaki Naruto." He stated, not really sure why he had said that at all.

Naruto nodded slightly, not perturbed that someone he didn't know knew him. Even in such a large metropolis as Konohagakure, he was pretty well known at this point. But even still it begged the question. "You know my name?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Anyone who lives here would have to be an idiot to NOT know you." He flung a sneer at Naruto, meant to be cruel but came out a bit more leering. "Mr. Future-Hokage, ne?"

Naruto's cheeks pinked, naturally bashful and tried to look away but was suddenly reminded of his predicament when the hand fisting his hair dragged his face back. When had this black haired man gotten so close? Naruto's breath hitched and his cheeks began burning, shooting from pink into a deep ruddy color. "Erm…" He just couldn't bring himself to say anything. Somehow all of his words, his protests, his will…were gone.

Sasuke wasn't even sure what he was doing. He knew he could be bold and very much outgoing but this was just plain sexual harassment. What the hell was wrong with him? Should he take it into consideration that he didn't even _care_ that this was weird, wrong, and just downright inappropriate. "Erm, what?" He mocked. All his redeeming thoughts vanished as his hand tightened, bringing the beautiful head back and forcing a tanned neck to arch and expose. Naruto gasped but oddly didn't protest, his back arching slightly and his tongue darting out to lick his lips yet again. Sasuke very nearly devoured that pertinent little mouth below him. This was a quite the little vixen that had fallen into his lap. Hazy blue eyes watched him, shifting deeper and deeper until they bordered on an amethyst color with red specks.

**~Raa Raa Ra-a-aaah! ****Ra-Ra Ra-a-aaah! ****Raa Raa Ra-a-aaah! Want yo bad romance!~**

Naruto jolted and against everything in his nature he shoved, quite rudely, the dark haired male aside and ran/sprinted to his car. His phone trilled all the way into the parking garage, into his car and well onto the main street. He was sure it was Gaara reminding/ threatening him that he had better be on his way to the airport. The blond glanced at the clock in his dashboard and gasped. That was a joke right? How was it 5:45 and they hadn't exchanged enough words to fill a page in a coloring book? This thought caused Naruto to reflect on his behavior and he blushed from his hairline to his shoulders. What the hell was wrong with him? Some stranger pins him on the green of his campus, traps him, grabs him, taunts him and Naruto had done nothing at all to stop it. He had just laid there and took it like some-some-hussy!

Naruto thanked his stars that the stranger hadn't tried to kiss him or anything, but oh—! The blush that had been just fading came back full force and with a vengeance. Naruto had been the one to stick his face in the stranger's neck and-and lick him! Great! Now he really was a hussy! But these thoughts led to his last and final realization; that dark haired man was the one he had spotted at the Kirigakure meeting. As the blond looked back at the situation, he determined that not only was he at a place where normal civilians had been restricted from, but he had been garbed in all black and had run from Naruto. There was no doubt, that man was an assassin, and Naruto had messed up his mission.

Naruto continued to reflect until he got closer to the airport and all his thoughts returned to Gaara, who would no doubt be pissed that he was about a half hour late. A pissed Gaara was enough to incite a sudden religious outlook on even the vilest of men. All other thoughts left him as he prepared to beg his way out of an ass-kicking. What he found was a scowling but somewhat preoccupied Gaara. "You're late." His gravel voice informed with a rather bland expression.

Naruto smiled and hugged his best friend. "I know, I'm sorry."

Gaara's cheeks dusted ever-so-slightly with pink as he awkwardly patted the blonde's back in an effort to reciprocate the hug. "Fine. Take me to the manor. My idiot siblings have already left to attend to themselves."

Naruto randomly wondered why he never felt offended when Gaara ordered him around. Perhaps it was the fact that he barely spoke above a whisper? Whatever it was the brighter one just cheesed and opened the door of his sports car for his friend. "Why didn't you go with your brother and sister?" He asked, once back inside the car and on the road.

Gaara turned toward him. "I wanted to see you." He deadpanned.

Naruto's smile widened to an impossible degree. "Of course, because I'm awesome! I'm happy you're here." The redhead hummed out a response and turned to look out the window. That reminded Naruto. "You said you had something you wanted to speak to me about?"

Gaara nodded and took a deep breath. It seemed as if he was nervous and that was enough to unnerve Naruto. "My father was assassinated." He spoke matter-of-factly. He turned toward Naruto when the blonde had nothing to say. "I am now Kazekage."

Naruto was quiet for a while, his knuckles gripping the steering wheel with enough tension to turn his knuckles white. "I'm sorry and very surprised."

At this Gaara scoffed. "I'm not sorry in the least, what I am, is confused. My father was an asshole among assholes but who killed him? My siblings suggest I put in an effort to find out or it could cause unrest or a scandal." He smirked cruelly. "Wouldn't want anyone thinking I killed my father, of course."

Naruto tried but couldn't hold back a chuckle. After a moment he turned to his friend briefly, his expression incredulous. "Did you?"

The other slid his sea foam gaze to his friend, keeping quiet a moment. "Unfortunately no, it wasn't me. And to keep from being accused of a crime I didn't have the pleasure of committing, I need to find out who did. Or so they say." Gaara held up his wrist and watched a small trickle of sand seep out of his large bangle and begin revolving around his finger. "I don't personally believe that." He looked back at Naruto. "Who here in Konoha would demand to know who killed my father?"

Naruto thought for a moment. Not even Tsunade-baachan would care. "No one really, but this is Konohagakure."

"Exactly." Gaara's tone was bored. "There is certainly no one in Sunagakure that should care. It was a well-known factor that the people did not like my father, or his corrupt ways."

Naruto's mind began to whirl and his political mindset began taking over. "But your people fear you Gaara. It is known that though you're father was corrupt he is still not as feared as you are. And now that you have become Kazekage I'm sure there will be people that would argue that they would be content with your father as Kazekage than you."

Gaara commanded his sand to become a small sphere that whirled on the tip of his finger. He was quiet a moment. "Yes, I am aware."

"You're going to have to gain your peoples trust." Naruto turned into an upscale neighborhood with spaced out mansions and turned down the street towards the Sabaku's Konoha manor. He brightened considerably. "But that'll be easy."

Gaara looked up. "How?"

Naruto shot him a thousand watt smile. "Because I'm going to help you." He pulled into the long driveway that twisted up to meet the manor. "I'm me, and everyone loves me, so stick with me and everyone will love you. Easy."

Gaara stared at his bubbly, blond friend and wondered if he seriously thought in his heart it would be that easy. "I see." Was all he could think to say to that. Sometimes it was disconcerting, how much the other was able to change his outlook on life just from speaking to him. No one else had that effect, that power. As Naruto pulled to the entrance of the manor, a shitsuji was there to open the door on Gaara's side and then come take the keys from Naruto. "Come," the red head spoke with such calm authority the blond followed on command. He had been to the Sabaku manor before but it was always a bit grander than he remembered. The previous Kazekage had a thing for decadence. "What floor did you wish to stay on?" Gaara asked as the came close to his room on the second floor.

"I thought I would just stay with you." Naruto shrugged. "I did last time."

Gaara gave one of his signature long glances. "Naruto, the last time you spent the night here we were just graduating middle school."

A blush. "Really? Is it odd to stay with you then?" Naruto looked around. The room was big, huge. The bed alone was enough to fit three sumo wrestlers with room to spare. "It's just so roomy in here, sort of lonely, you know?"

Gaara nodded with finality. "Very well then. We'll change, eat and then my siblings should be back. Our detectives said they were finally ready to reveal whatever their ballistics had found at the scene. We'll make our decision then." The Kyuubi holder was already pacing around the room looking for what had changed from what he last remembered and hummed his agreement. "Oh, and Naruto," The other turned back to Gaara and the redhead's cheeks pinked ever so slightly. "Thank you for helping me."

The brightest most incredible smile graced the future Kazekage. "Of course, what are friends for?"

* * *

><p>Sasuke wandered around the lush green of his campus for a while longer before ambling back towards the parking deck. Just what the bloody hell had happened? He tried to pry off the seemingly permanent smirk tattooed on his face but it wouldn't budge. Uzumaki Naruto. He had known it was that little blond bubble the moment he had escaped the hotel and flitted to the spire across the way. Last night he had been a beast; elongated canines, canine purple eyes, claw-like finger nails….a far cry from the ever smiling political figure on television. Sasuke had been surprised, or rather, shocked. The most disturbing fact was the look in his slitted eyes, like he, the Uchiha was nothing but a little play thing for him. At that moment, the raven haired assassin had felt a tingle up his spine like no other and he would never admit outside his mind that he had left from fear that the animal would leap right over the space that separated them.<p>

But to see that up close. Sasuke realized he had been wrong. The way the blond had nuzzled him like a vixen in heat, his sapphire colored eyes bleeding deeper, the panting breaths and wanton stare. Oh, all that ferociousness had simply vanished. Sasuke licked his lips in contemplation and opened his car door. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he answered without really looking to see who it was.

"I'm going to assume you have an explanation." Ah shit, Itachi.

"I wasn't prepared for opposition, only stealth. I got out of there once I knew someone was suspicious." Sasuke had absolutely no idea how he was going to explain this one. He hated disappointing his brother.

"Opposition? Come here." And then the line was dead. Well, shit.

The ride back to the Uchiha manor was spent rehashing his failure and creating ways to escape his brother's ever probing cross examination. He wondered if it was prudent to mention Naruto? But then what the hell was he thinking? Of course he would mention him, there was no reason not to. He didn't owe him, if anything, the little blonde twerp had ruined his mission. He pulled up to the side of the manor and hopped out, letting his car park itself before walking inside and immediately to the stairwell to his right. His brother's expansive office was right at the very top.

"Otouto," The elder greeted. For just learning that his little brother had failed him in a mission, he didn't look too angry. But Sasuke never put anything past Itachi; with him, things were rarely as they seemed.

"Aniki, forgive me." Sasuke pulled out all the stops and actually bowed, righting himself after the appropriate amount of time. "There is no excuse, I should not have failed."

Itachi was quiet a moment. "Why did you fail me, Otouto?"

At this Sasuke felt himself grow reluctant. Why? Why was he hesitant to say anything about Naruto? "There was an unseen glitch, Uzumaki Naruto somehow detected me and gave chase. Before I left completely he was able to catch sight of me." He sighed out the last part.

"Uzumaki? Figures he would be there. You were disguised properly, I will assume?"

"Of course."

"Well, I suppose that certainly was an unseen glitch." Itachi steepled his fingers as he looked over his precious little brother. He looked just the right amount of contrite; it was adorable. "Uzumaki is certainly not someone to tangle with, not only because his profile is too large and it would risk exposure, but I doubt that there are few that could kill him successfully without major collateral damage."

At this Sasuke's eyes widened. "Excuse me Aniki?" Itachi rose a brow is question. "You-you sound as if you were implying that he is difficult to fight." Sasuke stared at his brother in confusion. That overly bright pushover he'd had fall right into his lap? Surely his brother was speaking of a different Uzumaki.

Itachi was silent a moment. "You know nothing of him, do you?"

"Uzumaki Naruto?" Sasuke thought. He supposed he didn't know any more than the average Konoha citizen. "I suppose not, but I met him today. He attends my school."

"That boy is an abomination." At this Sasuke balked further. An abomination? "His blood is full of a rare disease called Jinchuuriki and he has the sole pleasure of having the most advanced case on earth at this moment."

_Ah_, Sasuke chided himself. Everything made sense now, the drastic outer changes in demeanor and physical appearance. "I see. Is this common knowledge?"

Itachi shrugged. "It's no secret. Older generations are more knowledgeable about it then say, our generation. But his power is a large reason why people are so accepting of his future position. It would have been quite lethal if he were to have fought you that night, or gained knowledge of your identity. He will, most likely, be the future Hokage and we need to keep a good relationship with him."

Sasuke stopped breathing. Oh shit. Ohshitohshitohshitohshit. He would bet his first born child that Naruto knew his identity. Sasuke tried to calm himself down, ever present of his brother watching him closely. He thought back to their encounter earlier that evening. Perhaps he didn't know, no one had said anything explicitly, he certainly hadn't accused him of anything. But, the way he had smelled him….Sasuke mentally berated himself. He had absolutely no evidence that Naruto Uzumaki recognized him as the assassin from last night. Perhaps the blonde was smelling him simply because he smelled good? Yes, for now, he would go with that. The younger brother nodded to himself for show and looked up to his brother. "Indeed, that would have proven troublesome."

Itachi was quiet for a moment. "Well, it would seem fortuitous that you both encountered one another today. It would be advantageous for us if you both were to forge some sort of bond, friendship or something of the like. At least at face value. This can make up for your earlier failure. Besides, it is said that the future Hokage is actually quite gullible. Can you handle this Otouto?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Of course Aniki."

Itachi chuckled at his little brother and the indignation on his face. "Then that is all." Sasuke was dismissed.

* * *

><p>Dr. Jiraiya Sage sat behind his wide oak desk, looking important and quite intimidating as he flirted on an online dating site. Three knocks resounded outside his door. "Enter," He called with a lecherous grin as he tried to convince some woman to send him nude pictures.<p>

An ANBU black op entered before lifting the mask and setting a manila envelope on desk. "I got what you asked. Fortunately for you, Naruto was put in a sticky situation today so I was able to get stress levels as well, though they didn't look too stressed." The explanation was dry and tinged with a bit of confusion and curiosity.

Jiraiya brightened, and reached for the info. "Stress levels you say? That is luck indeed, thank you very much Sai."

Sai rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Though I'm sure they were not lovers, they seemed pretty intimate. I don't understand why."

Jiraiya squinted at the heat signal photographs and x-rays Sai had taken from afar. "There are two people here, and I can tell which one is Naruto, but who is this?" He pointed to said unidentified object.

"Uchiha Sasuke." Sai answered promptly with absolutely no inflection.

The white haired scientist's eyes popped. "Uchiha Sasuke?" A lecherous grin began taking over his face. "And just what are they doing?" His curiosity was quite peaked now. Even with the heat photos and the bone x-rays it was a bit difficult to tell what they were doing.

"I couldn't be positive from my position. But I do recall Naruto leaning up at one point, I believe I captured that in the third clip."

Jiraiya flipped through and gasped. The heat output differences from one point to the next was astonishing. "Hmmm, that aside I must say, Naruto is progressing exactly like I predicted." The scientist sighed. If his God son didn't slow down his Kyuubi progression, Jiraiya would have no choice but to up the stabilizers. "Anyway, for now, you're off the case until I ask for more data, good work."

Sai bowed robotically. "Of course." As the ANBU left Jiraiya ran his hand over his face. No doubt Tsunade would want a report and she wouldn't need to have a Ph.D. to understand the problem. He flipped through again, things did not bode well, not at all.

* * *

><p>Gaara sat on the plush comfort of his bed. From there he had a direct view into his private bathroom where Naruto stood brushing his teeth at the sink, shirtless. Gaara's perceptive eyes watched the muscles on the blonde's back ripple with just the motion of moving his arm around; it reminded the redhead of his power. Clothed and full of his child-like innocence, Naruto didn't seem all that daunting, but it was that furious power, the one dark and deep below the surface that Gaara had been attracted to. It was to that power that he grudgingly gained respect, and with it admiration and finally friendship. Even as a small child, introduced to his jinchuriki senior he hadn't felt anything but a slightly impartial dislike for the blonde until he had seen Naruto erupt after an unfortunate grown up had insulted his then dead parents.<p>

Naruto gasped with a refreshed feeling and ambled back into the room. He stalked over to Gaara's always stocked but rarely used closet and selected a white T-shirt that fit him a bit snug. Gaara snorted, it was probably the largest he had. Rarely eating and almost never sleeping made the Kazekage pale and thin, not to mention a bit short. He compared all his five foot eight inches, hundred and twenty-five pounds against Naruto's five-eleven, hundred and forty pounds. It made his left eye twitch in irritation. "Are you done? Temari and Kankuro should have returned already. This jet lag is irritating; I want to hear this report and rest." He was careful not to say sleep, he didn't want to jinx himself should he actually fall asleep.

"Yeah, yeah, lets go." Naruto was already heading toward the hallway.

True to fashion Temari sat in the large formal lounge on her phone, Kankuro on a new gaming system with two detectives sitting there with stone faces. Once Gaara sat down it seemed everything stopped; he was naturally irritated toward anything frivolous. "Kazekage-sama." The detectives greeted formally, standing and bowing. The head agent glanced at Naruto in slight confusion as the future Hokage sat rather intimately close to Gaara and looked prepared to stay.

"Do not question him." Gaara spoke immediately. "State your business."

"Sir." Both sat down again before the assistant pulled out a large manila envelope out of a briefcase. The head agent began to speak. "As you know the former Kagekaze was assassinated while sleeping in his bedroom in the main Sunagakure manor. We had assumed that he was injected with a lethal poison in his neck and died approximately four minutes later for oncological decomposition, or blood breakdown. All evidence pointed to a seemingly perfect crime but we then found this in the sheets." The assistant pulled out a thick clear plastic evidence bag and inside was a small dart. "This was used as the weapon to poison the Kazekage therefore ruling out the theory that the criminal had to be present in the room in order to assassinate him.

Gaara raised a brow. "Was this what was so important you couldn't tell me over phone?"

The agent cast a furtive glance at Naruto but the blonde was listening patiently. "No sir, the importance lies within the dart itself. Please, if you will." He handed Gaara the bag.

The red head held it up and drank in the details. It was finely made, the pin being so small sometimes in certain light it didn't even show. The most remarkable quality about it was the odd oval shape at the end made in a red and white design. Gaara felt he should know that design but it escaped him. "The importance is this design if I'm correct?"

"Yes," The agent seemed even less inclined to answer and could hardly keep himself form staring at Naruto to watch his every reaction. "That dart could be considered an antique, none like those are made anymore, simply out of need for subtlety. That emblem is rather like a calling card."

Gaara nodded that made sense. "Then this is a crest and whoever killed Father wanted us to know it was them."

"Yes. That crest…do you not recognize it, Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara looked again but shrugged, Naruto reached for the bag to inspect the crest himself. "I feel that I should but I do not. This no clan prevalent in Suna."

"No, this is one of Konoha's most prized clans."

"Uchiha." Naruto spoke after he saw it. He didn't need any prodding. He worked his ass off all the time sending petitions to the Uchihas to contribute to his charities. Most of the time he failed but sometimes he managed to succeed, though it was always with the needed help of Neji and never face to face. The brothers; one Uchiha Itachi, tall, pale, long slate-colored hair and Uchiha Sasuke, tall, pale shorter—Naruto froze quite literally as his brain went into overload.

Tall, pale, shorter-deep black hair and even deeper eyes. Uchiha Sasuke, the pervy jerk that had trapped him earlier that evening….the assassin. Naruto tired not move too much. He didn't understand why he wasn't blurting out this information as soon as it came to him. He didn't understand why he was fixing his face and breathing to seem normal or why he was calmly handing the evidence back to the agent. He could feel eyes on him and he knew he had a duty to….to…to who? To Gaara? He didn't care, in fact from the look on Gaara's face he would much rather be playing with his sand than listening to the detectives. Temari and Kankuro? Naruto looked. Temari was texting and Kankuro seemed asleep with his eyes open. Did they not care either?

That didn't matter! This was wrong! A man had been killed, not just any man, but the Kazekage of Sunagakure had been assassinated in cold blood he likely knew who did it. Why wasn't he saying anything? What kind of Hokage would he be if he kept this to himself? And yet Naruto remained quiet and listened.

"This information, you will pass it on to the Hokage and inform her. Ask what her suggested next course of action is and request a meeting."

"Of course, sir, but Kazekage-sama, is this your only action?" The head agent asked with a bit of incredulity in his voice. At this Temari looked up and Naruto glanced at his friend. It was prudent that Gaara look interested to find his father's murderer.

Gaara fixed his seafoam eyes on that of the detective. "Yes." It was absolute.

"With all due respect-"

"The Uchihas are pillars of support and respect in Konoha and many other countries, not only fiscally, but intrinsically. From what I understand this archaic dart is the only evidence you have pointing to the Uchiha which could have been used from anyone."

"That's just it Kazekage-sama. These darts have not been used for hundreds of years, unless produced from someone inside the clan, it is near impossible to get your hands on one of these."

Gaara pondered this for just a moment before standing with finality. "Do as I said. If what you are saying is true then the Hokage should know this as well, I trust that in the interest of peace, Tsunade-sama will make a wise decision." With that the redhead was leaving and a suspiciously quiet Naruto was following him.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN] So, after looking back I noticed some inconsistencies and thought to just sit down and honestly go over the whole thing to bring it up to my latest chapters. Review! **

**Ciao,**


	2. Chapter 2

**[A/N] Here it is, I'm pretty happy with how this chappie turned out. Over 10K cuz' I dos the damn thing. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Subduing A Fox<strong>

**Chapter Two**

Uchiha Sasuke closed his mouth over the thick pert nipple jumping in front of his face. A gasp filled the room as his hands groped and squeezed the large breasts presented to him. He smirked as his victim earnestly tried to force his orgasm by riding him into oblivion. He wouldn't be satisfied, he could tell that. She was reaching her limit and if he guessed right, might pass out any minute from now. How many orgasms had she had? She had boasted that she could handle anything he could dish out back at the club he had found her. How disappointing, he had hardly done anything more than get his dick hard, let her bounce around and already she was soon to be out of the game.

A face flashed his memory and Sasuke knew why he had chosen this bleached-blond bombshell with artificially tanned skin. The same reason he had been running through blonds like was in his own personal marathon. All of a sudden he was bored. Puny nails pressed into his shoulder as she looked for some fortitude, so reassurance that he was enjoying this too and Sasuke decided to put himself out of his misery. It was easy to reverse their positions, tossing her around until she was situated to his liking; on her knees with her cheek pressed into a pillow. He grabbed a handful of hair and slowly pushed himself in her ass without request. He closed his eyes, in his mind giving Naruto time to adjust before he pulled out and snapped his hips forward again. The blond would growl and struggle just enough to excite the raven haired man even more. Sasuke let out a deep groan as his imagination played out the whimpers and keening, the scratches and moaning, his broken name filling the blonde's mouth over and over until his voice cracked hoarsely. Sasuke pressed his hand between shoulder blades, gaining more leverage before picking up speed. With a near silent, sharp exhale he emptied himself in the condom and pulled out of the unconscious girl's ass almost immediately. She was truly out now and Sasuke sighed as he cleaned himself up pushing her hips so she didn't remain ass up all night. Another sigh as he readied himself to leave, he had an hour to hurry back to his apartment, shower and change before he had an appointment. He wondered why he felt like he had just masturbated. This wasn't sex, not anymore. Not when there was someone who could actually take what he could give. With the failure of yet another quest to rid himself of Naruto's image, he came to terms with it. There simply would be no substitute. He was DYING to know what it felt like inside that tight tanned animal. Ah, Sasuke felt a shudder run through his post-coitaled body at the thought. Kyuubi mutation, huh? Yes, he simply had to have his little, blonde fox.

* * *

><p>Sakura Haruno visibly twitched when a breeze came by, disrupting her perfectly sculpted hair. Today was an important day, today had enormous potential, no…today was magnificent. Today she would be solidifying a relationship with the man she loved. A useful one, an invaluable one. The Assistant Chief of Medicinal and Health Regulations pulled out a compact mirror from her attaché and ran perfectly manicured nails through her flawlessly just-cut pink locks. She resembled the young, stylish and irresistible bad girl she fancied herself to be in her all black pencil skirt and tight blouse, lightly made face, and purposefully short yet trending hairstyle. Yes, Sakura thought, today was essential.<p>

"Good, you're on time. I can't stand people who aren't on time." A heavenly voice suddenly proclaimed, bearing with it a heavenly body, also garbed completely in black, that sat itself down in the empty chair in front of her. With a wave of his hand Sasuke brought a waiter over. "Black Russian." The timid looking teenage boy bowed and rushed off.

"Of course, we had an agreed time." Sakura tried to keep the butterflies erupting out of her stomach from clogging up her throat. She wanted nothing more than to thoroughly ravish the being in front of her.

"Right." Sasuke replied with a droll look. His eyes slid to the attaché case leaning neatly against the girl's legs. Well at least she wasn't stupid enough to lean it against the chair where he could have just lifted it without her knowing. "You brought what I asked for?"

"I did." Sakura imitated a sweltering look she had seen on a movie, lowering her lids and looking through her lashes. She sipped her virgin daiquiri, knowing she couldn't hold liquor, and remained silent; another trait she had noticed that girls dubbed 'irresistible' tended to do in times like these.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the way she was acting, it smelled of ulterior motives, or worse, a trap. He reminded himself that she could be bugged and that to remain vigilant in what he said. He waited until his drink was placed in front of him and with a sip of the cool flavor he stared deep into emerald eyes. "You said you would name your price when negotiating face to face. So name it."

Here it was. A big moment, the biggest moment. If Sakura didn't play this right all her hard work could go swirling down some porcelain throne. "Well, I'm just a regular girl Sasuke, and you know, girls are indiscriminately susceptible to very few things in life." When Sasuke remained silent with a puzzled look on his face, Sakura sat back in her chair and placed the attaché in front of her on the small table. "The promise of something electrifying." She supplied in an equally vague manner. She opened the case and turned it toward Sasuke. "The next quarter's regulations in advance as well as your competition and neighboring companies' submissions, in exchange for your body for the next quarter."

Sasuke was in so much shock that he believed it to be confusion. Then he thawed himself off. "Absolutely not." He didn't know why he spoke those words. He had used his body numerous times to further his and his Aniki's goals but this, something about this felt completely derogatory. "I will not whore myself out to you for the next three months, you'll have to think of something else." Honestly, he should have been ashamed of the amount of emotion he had spewed into that remark. He was actually showing that that comment _bothered_ him.

Sakura had seen this coming but had hoped she wouldn't have to elaborate. "I'm not asking for every night." She kept her voice stern, just like she had seen and read about. There was no negotiating here. She hoped and prayed and it paid off with a long silence and a response.

"How many?"

"Twice a week in the least, with total control over the…..sessions."

"Bull shit." Sasuke replied on the spot, a slight growl to his voice that he was annoyed at showing. "I will not grant you total control over…..me." Because that was what it boiled down to. Allotted time where she could do whatever the fuck she wanted to him.

Sakura gave a noncommittal wave of her hand and forced some bravado into her voice while her heart pumped blood heavily. "It really doesn't seem like you're negotiating Sasuke-san. I would hate for us to both walk away empty handed from such a potentially fortuitous union. Some recent gambles have made your brother in need of this, right?" Sakura fluttered the lashes she had spent nearly fifteen minutes combing through expertly.

"_Uchiha-san_," He stressed. "I didn't give you leave to use my first name." The statement was acerbic and Sakura hoped she hadn't ruined anything with her little bit of teasing. It always seemed like the 'bad girls' could get away with a little bit of teasing. The silence was thick with tension while Sasuke worked his brain furiously. He could not simply kill her and take the documents, he needed her alive so she could translate the medical jargon into something both he and his brother could understand, something that he was positive she hadn't done yet. Or she would have become completely dispensable. There was also a possibility that he would need the next terms regulations as well. Not to mention her seat guaranteed that her death would be investigated. He wasn't sure why his Aniki needed these documents now when they had done fine without them, but he hardly questioned the older man and wouldn't start now.

Sakura was beginning to panic, a fact that she knew she would not be able to keep secret for much longer. Her companion's face was only hardening every minute and the one thing she didn't need was him to start thinking of ways to get around her. She rather liked living. "Perhaps some time is needed." Sasuke finished his drink but stayed silent. "There is a gala being thrown by a friend of mine, everyone who is anyone is going. It's in four days. Find me and bring your answer then." Sakura closed her attaché with a flourish and after dropping enough money on the table to cover Sasuke's drink as well she forced her legs to carry her in the entirely fashionable walk she had watched on a Vogue runway. Yes, today was monumental.

* * *

><p>Naruto grimaced at the face he was looking at. "Gaara, you look mildly constipated. There is no need to grit your teeth when you smile."<p>

The redhead in question gave an irritated huff and turned away from the large vanity in his room, he was done looking at his own reflection and wouldn't mind if he never saw another mirror in the next few years. "I don't really have anything to smile about. It's not as easy for me as it is for you, Naruto." He turned his wide jade eyes on his friend. "I don't smile."

Naruto stared at him for just a moment. He could read the nervous frustration that was practically vibrating off of him. They had been discussing Naruto's plan for the last day or so and it all boiled down to Gaara needing to make a soft spoken, grief filled speech at Naruto's gala, that explained their informal little project and ended with a smile. Gaara had been on board. He had no problems with public speaking, and he could even force a little of 'grief' into it, but smiling? "Of course you do. You smile around me a lot more than you think you do." And before the other could begin his tirade of denial the blonde stood and caressed a desert-dry but soft cheek. "You make me smile because you're my friend, my closest and most dear friend. So when you're happy, I'm happy and when you're sad, I'm sad. You make me smile all the time."

Had Gaara not been so entranced by deep ocean blue eyes he would have scolded the other for being so close or saying such sappy girlish lines, but instead his cheeks lit up and he couldn't stop the small, very small, upward curving of his mouth. "There you go." Naruto exclaimed turning the Kazekage quickly in his seat. He leaned down pressing his cheek against stark red hair and a warm red ear as his friend's blush increased. "You're smiling. It doesn't have to be big, in fact, I think for you the smaller the better."

When Gaara was able to tear his eyes from Naruto's face and look at his own he was surprised to see what he looked like filled with mirth. His eyes were actually twinkling ever so slightly, he looked infinitely younger than usual, and voiced this. "People are going to start demanding to see my birth certification to make sure I'm of age. I look prepubescent."

Naruto laughed bodily and went to sprawl on the other's bed. "You look fine, better than fine. You'll do great, I don't know why, but I think the people of Konoha are really going to like you. We just have to make sure the Sunakagurans do to."

Gaara turned to survey his thoughtful friend. Lazing about, shirt riding up to afford the view of sculpted abs, wistfully gone expression on his face; Naruto had never really followed propriety with him. The bustling blonde had immediately thought up the ludicrous plan to take Gaara under his wing in "unofficial Kage training" to teach the read head better social interaction skills. The Jinchuuriki kohai had told Naruto he thought he was crazy, and Naruto had grinned an agreed, but here they were. Gaara had accepted the ludicrous idea and made plans to stay in Konoha for half a year with the charismatic future Hokage laying on his bed. And when Gaara turned back around towards his vanity he was not surprised to see that this little fact has most certainly widened his smile.

* * *

><p>Ino Yamanaka snarled at the message so cavalierly thrown on her phone. The graduate psychology student had had her job as PR manager for her good friend Naruto for longer than people had really even known who Naruto was, so of course she knew she was damn good at her job. But that did not give Naruto the right to simply <em>throw<em> such a hugely unnecessary change in the biggest gala of the year that Ino had scheduled out MONTHS ago! She could hear the plastic of her smart phone creaking under the rage of her grip as she reread the message for a fifth time.

'_Hey Ino, can you make some room for Gaara to speak? Like, fifteen minutes. That's not too much right? K, thanxs!' _

Fifteen minutes. FIFTEEN MINUTES. Ino had things planned down to the second and he just wanted her to pluck fifteen minutes out her ass? Ino made a noise that would have made angry Mamma bears cower with shame. Ino carefully crafted her reply, each smash of a button making the device wish for a speedy death than to endure anymore of her communicating.

'_Of course! I'll do what I can.'_

Ino rubbed her brow and set the phone down. All of her justly wrought anger had poured itself into a rather chipper affirmation that she would do the impossible. Why? Because it was Naruto, and it was never easy to turn down Naruto. Especially when the boy would just as soon jump off a cliff before he disappointed anyone. With a sigh Ino whipped out a large and extensively detailed planner. Fifteen mintues, right. That meant either the time she had posted on all of the expensively crafted invitations was going to be wrong or she was going to have to take time from something else scheduled. There was the opening hour which, of course, had to remain open so that everyone could arrive, fashionably late arrivals included. There was the Hor d'oeuvres section for mingling that was already too short to shorten anymore; if she did people would barely have time to find seats and she did not spend half a year planning this so it could come off rushed. Perhaps she could shorten the time for the auction? But they had so many pieces that that was near impossible not to mention Naruto's number. There were five different fashion designers that were displaying their latest collections and she certainly couldn't shorten the time on that. That left the three speeches; Naruto's, Tsunade's and a high-school student who had won an essay contest. Ino worried her bottom lip, it would be more than wrong to take the prize the student had won fair and square, and people came to these things just to hear Naruto speak so that left….

With hesitation she picked up her abused phone and scrolled down her contacts until she got to her sometimes-lover-but-not-really-because-they-were-too-bloody-busy. It rang four times before he picked up. "Ino, you don't usually call. What's wrong?"

She tried to fling some false indignation over the call. "Something needs to be wrong for me to call you, you jerk?"

There was a sigh, and damn if it didn't sound sexy. "I know you better than that woman, so spill it."

The blonde let loose a small growl of frustration. "I'm stuck Shika, how long is Tsunade-sama's speech? I need to pull fifteen minutes out of nowhere."

"You're talking about the gala?"

"Yeah." Ino ran her hands through her hair, effectively destroying her ponytail. It was promoting her headache anyway.

"Hold on, I think Shizune is still writing it, I'll ask. Let me call you back in a minute."

Ino let a small sigh escape her. If Shizune was still writing it than there was time for changes. "Thanks Shika, you're a life saver."

"Hmmm. Right."

Right before they both hung up Ino felt something bold move through her. "Oh! Shika!" She called.

"Yeah?"

She let everything sly and sexy slip into her voice. "I'll see you after the gala."

There was a throaty chuckle that Ino would have given anything to see his expression when he made it. Sometimes that boy was too sexy, and the kick ass thing about it was he hardly even knew it himself. The response was something crossed between a groan and a growl. "Yeah, you will." When the very decisive click was heard from her side of the phone, Ino wasn't mad. No with the sudden moist feeling between her legs, Ino decided a nice cold shower was needed to keep her on track; Shikamaru could be oh so very distracting.

* * *

><p>A very stressed and somewhat giddy Hinata Hyuuga gulped at the three choices before her. There was a deep midnight blue, silk draped dress with a stiff ornate waist-piece that made her hips flare prettily and complemented her hair. There was a sleeveless and backless black dress, with a high collar and a shimmer in the light, that required her to put her hair up but made her look much more mature. And finally, a white and indigo, mock-kimono dress with slits up the tops of both thighs and very pretty obi. Hinata was stuck, she didn't know what to do. Maybe if she knew what everyone else was wearing? She did want to be wearing the same color, or worse, the same style, or even more dreaded, the same dress. But what would Naruto like more?<p>

She thought. Naruto was fun and playful. She had never really seen him comment on anything being 'sexy' and was more likely to blush if anyone even complimented him in too forward of a fashion. So, perhaps she would rule out anything too suggestive. That left the mock-kimono and the blue silk dress. If Hinata thought back to the last time Naruto had really complimented her it was at a Hyuuga soiree that Neji had hosted and Hinata had been in one of her family heirloom kimonos. Naruto had stuttered out the cutest praises that the girl had had rosy cheeks every time their eyes had connected for the rest of the night.

The decision was made.

The mock-kimono it was.

* * *

><p>Kakashi Hatake fixed the straps to his pistol holders, trying to find the perfect position that allowed easy access but stayed out of sight. He had a weapons summoning seal tattooed on the inside of his arm, for easy reach. It was such a shame guns were not part of ninjutsu weaponry, he would love to just summon one without worrying about carrying it. With a huff he realized his formal wear was forcing his limit to three on his person, not his usual six. He was head of the ANBU black ops and vital to the security of the Hokage, and as much as everyone saw him as an odd, laid back enigma, he took his job quite seriously.<p>

"It's not a tuxedo if you don't wear a tie." A voice said from behind the silver haired man.

"Naaa~" Kakashi whined turning to face his lover. "I don't want to wear a tie." He hated ties, which had nothing to do with the tight mask currently bunched under his chin, ready to fold up and shroud him in mystery. It covered his neck and lower face in strong black material, but ties….they were just annoying. Kakashi licked his lips at the sight that greeted him. Long bare legs, toned thighs, a skimpy towel around the waist, lightly defined abs, deep soulful brown eyes, and chestnut hair that brushed tanned lithe shoulders. If there was one thing that drove the ANBU head crazy it was seeing Iruka's hair down.

The brunette walked forward, picking up the discarded silver tie on the way, and began to arrange it. "It's a formal gala, one of the biggest of the year. Naruto would be disappointed if you didn't show up looking your best. It'll look like you didn't care."

"I don't see why I have to." The other responded, rather distracted by the muscles moving with Iruka's efforts. "I'm not really going to be seen. It's my job to stay in the shadows."

"Naruto will you see you. He always does."

"Eh." He waved his lover away once he was turned to inspect himself in the full length mirror. "That's because he can _smell_ me, it has nothing to do with sight."

"Well," Iruka walked around to face his lover again. It really was a plain suit, but that's what Kakashi was going for. "does it matter that I also like the way you smell?" The high school teacher skimmed his nose down a pale cheek and jawline, sliding his hands down the black fabric of the suit jacket.

"Na, Iruka, I think you better get dressed. Or we're both going to be late."

* * *

><p>Itachi adjusted his slate grey tie before the limo door opened; he filed out, moving over for his companion without even glancing backwards. Immediately there were flashes so bright and frequent that if Itachi were a lesser man, and unused to it, he would have flinched. Instead he moved down the red carpet until there was a sponsor-tattooed board behind him, where both he and his brother paused to take pictures. Itachi sighed. "Sasuke, at least look at the camera once so we can be on."<p>

Sasuke grunted but complied, wasting valuable scouting time to turn towards the media mongrels and flash his trade mark Uchiha smirk while Itachi went for his usual benign smile. It would probably show up everywhere in the next few hours. Once done with that Sasuke let his eyes sweep the area as they moved down to the grand entrance of the huge hall usually booked for this thing. On top of being here to represent the Uchiha clan, Sasuke was his brother's unofficial bodyguard. You would think that being rumored to have "more money than God" would assure safety but a few attempts at Itachi's life had proven that wrong. He would be damned if he let something happen to his brother here. Sasuke caught his reflection in the large mirrored facing of the entrance façade, no doubt done purposefully. He was dressed in all black with a vibrant, blood red vest and tie, the same vest Itachi wore under a slate grey and black pinstriped suit. Sasuke had forgone a jacket to draw attention away from his Aniki and onto himself, something they had done for years. As odd as it sounded whenever they did interviews together it was usually Sasuke that did most of the talking while Itachi sat, in all of his intimidating fashion, daring anyone to comment on his choice of silence. Every now and then he would inject a statement or two, an opinion, and it was rare that Itachi ever talked to anyone without Sasuke there.

A hand on the small of his back had him tensing before he caught the familiar aura. He looked over at his slightly taller brother. When had the sneaky bastard gotten behind him? "If you scowl anymore you'll start a rumor that you would have rather been anywhere else. That's the last thing we need."

"Hn." Sasuke responded but complied, fixing his face into the ever present lack of any real emotion but superiority.

"Right this way, sirs."

Itachi gave a slight push and followed behind his Otouto as they were led by a pretty maître d' in an expensively tailored uniform. Sasuke had always requested Ino that they never sat in the same place as the previous year. The brothers were led to an elaborate table with prime views of the center and side stage, also more towards the middle cluster of tables. The Uchiha emblem blazed in the centerpiece and the two sat themselves gracefully, side by side. From where he was, Sasuke glimpsed a head of pink moving forward with a woman dressed conservatively and identified the woman as Yokuba Shizune the Chief of Medicinal and Health Regulations. They were tagged by a jovial looking man, no older than Sasuke, dressed horribly in his plain dark green suit. It was obvious he was security and it was obvious he never succeeded in the art of remaining discreet. Never the less, it was the Rosette that Sasuke was wary of; dressed in nothing but a white slip of a dress, that reminded him of a handkerchief, he was conscious of her demand that he make a decision tonight.

"Something troubling you, Otouto?" Itachi did not take his eyes away from the exact opposite direction of where his brother was looking. Attendance was really kicking in, and the hall was huge, but there was no missing the bright blond hair.

Sasuke sighed, deciding he wouldn't think about Sakura right now and would deal with her when that time came. He just hoped she did not offer herself to sit in the plentiful open seats at their table. "When is something not troubling me, Aniki?" The younger wrapped his arm around the back of Itachi's chair as he scanned the mezzanine levels of the halls. Supposedly there were no civilians allowed up there, but Sasuke knew that if he had to make a public hit, it would definitely be from up there.

A slight smile graced the elder's lips. "Always. You're new friend has arrived, I trust you will use tonight to solidify a good relationship?" Finally he turned, his coal black eyes mirroring back at him in the stare of Sasuke.

The cocky smirk was back. "Of course." His eyes zoned in on the bubbly head of blond moving through the promenade. He was creating quite ruckus, smiling broadly, his arm around Hinata Hyuuga in a somewhat innocent manner, with a Neji Hyuuga next to her. Just feet away from the glassed double doors and they were still being begged to stay and take just one more picture, but Neji pushed the couple along and finally they were out of the clutches of the paparazzi and into the heated greetings of the guests.

"He has them eating out of the palm of his hand." Itachi commented dryly as he watched with an amused smirk. The tension rolling off his brother was so thick he can hear his chair cracking in his ear under Sasuke's abuse. "Truly formidable. I am thankful that you were able to turn such a potentially disastrous situation to our advantage, Sasuke."

It was rare when Itachi actually called him by name, even in public, and it was times like this when Sasuke had to wonder just how much his brother knew. He shifted a glace to the other but allowed his focus to drag back to that of one Naruto Uzumaki as he practically beamed through the hall, entrancing everyone with his thousand watt smile. Diminutive little Hinata played her part as a pretty but useless eye-candy, if you asked Sasuke, in her decadent kimono fashioned dress that showed a little leg with every step. Something he was guessing she wasn't used to, if the constant blush and ungraceful way she kept her sleeve to her face was any indication. Irritation flooded the younger Uchiha as he realized he hadn't factored in Naruto's availability, a factor that just didn't sit well with him at all.

* * *

><p>Naruto, however, always loved to surprised people. He was dressed in modern Suna garb; a sand colored tunic that bled into burnt orange around the sleeves and hem, with soft black pants and boots that cut at the ankle. His blonde locks fell in an adorably messy pile on his head. His body was electrified, these things always gave him a giddy sort of excitement, which in turn made him extra exuberant.<p>

"Oi, turn it down a little Naruto, or you'll be wiped out by time its time for you to speak." Neji chastised, seeing the blond razzle people so early in the evening. He pushed both him and his sister towards the table Naruto sat every year. His Uzumaki swirl staring from the center piece.

"Yeah, I know, I just can't help it. I'm nervous." And he was, not really for himself, but Gaara. The redhead had opted to show up with his own family and entourage instead of with Naruto. He had been a little disappointed but happy when Neji asked him to accompany Hinata this year, and she looked especially lovely. In a true gentlemanly fashion that came second nature to him, Naruto pulled out Hinata's chair and sat next to her. Ino had requested that he stay sitting down this time, throughout the entire opening hour so as not to cause too many seat changes. After she had confirmed she had done the impossible and gotten Gaara's speech in, the blond was ready to give his first born child, so sitting still was the least he could do. That didn't mean it was easy.

"You look like you're ready to run a marathon. Are you really that nervous? You've done this countless times." Neji inspected him closer.

Hinata nodded in confirmation. "Do you feel well, Naruto-kun?"

The blonde laughed it off. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. It's not me I'm nervous for." He replied with a sigh, letting his eyes sweep all around and stop short when they fell on two twin pools of black staring right back at him. He averted his gaze and stood, not sure why he had stood, but was saved when a commotion was made just outside of the doors. A flaming red head made his way inside the gala, having not stopped to take pictures like his siblings and completely ignoring the maitre d'. Gaara's landing in Konoha wasn't exactly secret but his arriving at the gala was certainly causing a buzz. His deep maroon Suna tunic was belted across the chest and waist; it flowed behind him with every purposeful step and Naruto sighed at the unconsciously done, yet completely menacing air that Gaara had surrounded himself in. Still, he looked hot, if Naruto did say so himself, having had won a bet and gained the privilege to dress Gaara for this night. His black pants and tunic were just a little more fitted that the other usually wore and the boots he had on strapped up the knee.

Naruto stepped over to meet him a few feet from the table. "I feel ridiculous. Did you have to make these things so tight?"

Naruto chuckled at the slight flush on Gaara's face. "Usually I wouldn't, but it never hurts to go for more than one appeal, and we need all the appeal we can get."

Gaara huffed and looked around. This place was grand, it was his first time attending. "Am I sitting with you?" He was met with a hand on his lower back as Naruto guided him back towards his table.

Naruto stood behind his chair and gestured with his other hand. "This is Hinata and Neji Hyuuga, my official benefactors."

Gaara fixed his wide jade eyes on Hinata's blushing face. A small tap from Naruto's hand on the small of his back reminded him that this was what they had been practicing for. The Kazekage breathed in and let a small upturn of his lips grace his face, he bowed politely. "A pleasure to meet you Hinata Hyuuga, I am Sabaku no Gaara, intended Kazekage of Sunagakure." Gaara turned to the man standing next to her and felt his breath catch a little. He had on a more modern version of traditional Konoha robes; cream colored with barely noticeable brown patterns down the wide sleeves. A wide sash allowed the robes to taper off and brown pants could be seen before the view disappeared under the table. But what was most breath taking were the pair of pearl-like eyes, framed by long silky trails of oak brown hair. There was not a gaze of disgust or fear, or even confusion but a look of _something _directed his way and if Gaara had been one to fidget, he would have. He masked his telling pause with another polite bow and a slightly more genuine smile. "A pleasure also, Neji Hyuuga."

In Suna it was common practice to pronounce the full name of someone you were meeting for the first time. Gaara had never wondered if they practiced this also in Konoha, but as soon as he had said that name, something like a flirtatious smirk flitted on the lips of the other man. "The pleasure is also mine."

Naruto, always wise to the emotions of those around him, had to fight tooth and nail to keep a grin off his face. He pulled out the empty chair next to him. "Here Gaara, unless you would rather sit with your siblings?" He looked around then for where Ino had sat them and regretted it when he yet again caught the eyes of the Uchihas. Were they going to stare at him all night? He was nervous enough without that added pressure. A gloved white hand waving around caught his eye and he smiled at the sight of Sakura. She was sitting with Shizune, Tsunade-baachan, Ino and Shikamaru. "I'll be right back." He said, half turning back to the table as he made his way over, greeting other guests on the way.

Neji watched him go before his eyes honed back on the pair of wide jade orbs fixed on him. The flamed-haired male was obviously younger, with an angular face, petite aristocratic nose, high cheekbones and pouty lips. But it had to be those large, dark rimmed eyes that upbraided others the most. He had to say, that stare was just a bit unnerving, it sent chills down his arms, but it had been a long while since anyone had unnerved him. The Hyuuga watched as Gaara absently looked around, sand rotating lazily around his twirling finger; Sand. Yes that was what his voice reminded Neji of; stark, dry, brittle, yet pleasing when it had rolled over his name. It was a bit shocking but not wholly, when he realized he wanted to hear that voice again, and it had been a habit of Neji's to get what he wanted. "So Gaara-san, what made you come to Konoha?"

Those large eyes flitted back to him, and as pleasing at it was to look at the fine features of the Kazekage's face, when those orbs were fixed on him, it was pleasing more so. "I wanted to see Naruto. I was…upset about my father's death, I'm sure you've heard. He's always been a good friend of mine."

Neji nodded, glancing over at the bouncing blonde as he hugged a blushing Ino and kissed both her cheeks. "He tends to have that effect on a lot of people. He'll make a good Hokage." He made sure he was looking back at Gaara. "I'm glad that the Kazekage and our future Hokage have such a good relationship."

Gaara broke their stare first. Glancing down at his sand as it formed a tight sphere and began to roll between his fingers. "I as well."

He spoke slowly, with so little inflection that it was slightly peeving. It gave one a bored quality, like he would rather be somewhere else. Suddenly, peevishly, Neji wanted to hear him raise his voice, make an expression of surprise, or even anger. The elder Hyuuga looked over at his cousin. She didn't even seem to be following the conversation and was eyeing Naruto as discreetly as possible. "And of course you are both Jinchuriki." He said it with the sly inflection of an insinuation.

That made Gaara pause, his eyes snapping back to Neji, alert, the ball of sand suspended in the air above his fingers. "Yes, we are."

Neji shrugged and looked around innocently. "Of course to some, that may be seen as a…danger."

The ball of sand dispersed so quickly and violently that even Hinata jumped as it began to trickle back into the wide bangle on Gaara's right wrist. "Would you mind explaining that to me?" Still barely spoken over a whisper, the words were as sharp as the edge of broken glass. His infamous, and easily donned scowl was back on his face. He could deal with insinuations about himself, they were nothing new even if he wasn't familiar with them being stated right to his face, but to insinuate anything about Naruto… All of a sudden this Neji Hyuuga seemed quite irritating.

"Oh, there is nothing to explain really, I surely didn't mean to offend you, Gaara-san. I was merely stating opinions I had heard." The placating smile from the Hyuuga was dripping with false niceties as he relished in his victory. It was not surprising to Neji at all that he found the other's face, alight with angry indignation, was beautiful in its feral nature.

"And where did you hear this?" Gaara's head lolled slightly, his lips pursing just ever so much, as genuinely angry as he was curious. Most people found this overwhelmingly intimidating, especially since he was prone to punishing those who didn't provide correct answers to the questions he seldom asked.

Neji found it cute. Those wide jade orbs were narrowed and fixed so completely on him that he would not be surprised if Gaara knew his heart rate. "Around." He said with a gentle shrug.

The Kazekage stood abruptly, not wanting his temper to get the best of him. He had promised Naruto that most of this evening would be spent with him smiling, or at least attempting to. "I'll be back." He said barely loud enough to not be considered rude. But at this point Neji Hyuuga could shove some rude up his ass.

* * *

><p>Sakura was always happy to see Naruto. The bustling blonde was one of the reasons she was what she was today. From the droopy-eyed, insecure girl who thought nothing was good enough for her, to the mature woman who moved through her own will and reached out to snatch the things she wanted from life. Yes, she owed Naruto immensely and the first order of business was a hug. "Naru-kun! You look smashing!" Because it was in to say 'smashing' and Naruto did look like one hot piece of ass. Damn, too bad they had made that pact back in high school that they would always only be just friends. At the time the boy had been goofy and outlandish; the fates were repaying her now with what she was missing out on. Sakura felt just the right amounts of helpless and appreciated in the strong arms of his enthusiastic hug. <em>Damn<em>.

A cute blush spread across his cheeks as he stepped back. "You look as lovely as ever Sakura-chan. I'm glad you could make it! I haven't seen you at all lately."

"I know!" Sakura laughed with a fashionable toss of her pixie cut hair. "Busy, busy, busy. I'm sorry I haven't really had time. Oh! You know, we should get together, you know, the whole gang. For-old times sake." Sakura had balked, completely startled when she looked over Naruto's shoulder to see none other than the man she had been looking for all night. But he was not staring at her at all in a way that hinted things were going well for her. In fact he wasn't even looking at her!

"Sakura-chan?"

"Huh?" Sakura whipped her attention back to Naruto placing a hand on his collar bone, her fingers curling around his shoulder, half to steady herself, half because….the way Sasuke had looked… She pasted an interested expression on her face, looping her arm with his. "What did you say, love?" Because it was in to sound foreign.

"I was wondering if you were going to bid for me this year. You didn't last year." He replied with a pout as they walked slowly through the gala. They both took a flute of champagne from a passing staff.

Ah, the annual auction for a date with Naruto. She looked him up and down, as he waved to someone greeting him. Even in the generally loose fitting garb of Suna he looked finger-licking-good. "Of course! Naruto-kun. I expect to be coming into a nice sum anyway. Why do you think I dressed so pretty? I'm sure I'm going to win this year." Because all of the other years she either had bet for the sake of illusions or she hadn't bet at all. But this time…

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm glad, Sakura-chan. We haven't been on a date since, high school."

An annoyed tug on Naruto's collar turned the wide eyed blonde around to face a pissed looking Ino. "What did I tell you about sitting down? After what I did to cram Gaara in you had better pick a seat and sit in it fast. People are already playing musical chairs because they think you're sitting over here. Remember, you're up for the welcome speech in fifteen minutes." Alright, maybe Ino was exaggerating, but you had to if you wanted Naruto to comply quickly. But the blonde just shot her a good natured smile and went off to collect his wayward friend and sit down.

Ino buzzed around a bit more, making sure her staff was ready to collect donations when Naruto's speech was over, if there was one thing the blonde was good at, it was convincing people to believe in his cause. After that her program needed to go off without a hitch, which meant flawless transitions. Everything needed to be perfect. Ino jumped a little when a warm arm encircled her waist and led her back to her table.

"Everything's fine. You look so jittery there you're making everyone around you nervous. It's fine, these things are always perfect."

Ino melted into Shikamaru's calming tone. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I've done everything I can now."

"Hmm. Now sit here with me and relax woman. "

As she sat and crossed her legs in the chair he had pulled a little closer to him, Ino felt the heat rise on her face as his hand went a little lower than her waist and took up purchase on the exposed part of her ass. She didn't think she would be able to relax if his hand stayed there all night. "Sh-Shika,"

"Hmm?" He flexed his hand and let out a dark chuckle as she squeaked.

* * *

><p>If Sasuke could, Sasuke would snatch the blonde off the stage right there and drag him back to his apartment. But Sasuke couldn't and it was making his hand twitch. He eyed the table where Naruto was sitting, just across the aisle and observed his friends. Gaara, the redheaded future Kazekage looked completely enraptured by his words, and a glance around told him that almost everybody was, save for Neji Hyuuga, who would eye the Kazekage every now and then. Hmmm, interesting. Also exempt would be his brother and the reason for the hair on the back of his neck standing on edge for the last half hour, Sakura Haruno, who was no doubt, staring a hole into his head.<p>

Sasuke watched with slight irritation as Naruto introduced Gaara and after everyone clapped and Gaara made his way to the podium Naruto pulled him close to whisper something in his ear before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. There he stayed the entire duration of Gaara's spiel, flashing his dazzling smile, his bright blue orbs never once coming his way. Sasuke didn't even notice how tense he was getting in his irritation until a hand was placed upon his thigh.

"May I suggest you actually go talk to him before you begin plotting in that industrious head of yours." Well there was the pot calling the kettle industrious.

"I will, actually." And Sasuke would. After the Kazekage's speech the two paused for a minute for pictures from the media allowed present and then they were making their way down the stage and back to their seats. It was now or never. Sasuke rose fluidly, startling the others present at their table and made his way over to intercept the descending couple. "Naruto, how nice to see you again." Sasuke flashed a pleasant smile that he didn't often use, and delighted in Naruto's immediately flushed stammer.

"Ah-Sasuke-I mean, Uchiha-san. How-uh, nice to see you too." And there he'd done it. If Naruto ever wondered if he would be good at the whole espionage bit he had just proven he couldn't even remember to use Sasuke's surname. Know anyone could assume he knew the other on a personal level. Great. The blonde seemed to flush in silence before remembering himself and gave a small bow with a smile. "Thank you for joining me this evening, your support means a lot me."

"Of course." Sasuke bowed back for the sake of propriety and perception. Inwardly he was chuckling with dark glee.

"Oh, please excuse me. This is my longtime friend; Gaara." The future Hokage gestured to the silent redhead at his side.

"Sabaku no Gaara, intended Kazekage." He extended his hand and eyed Sasuke. Or at least, Sasuke felt he was being eyed.

"Uchiha Sasuke, a pleasure to meet you." With the proper greeting out of the way it was time he execute his grand master plan. "Naruto I hate to impose but I wonder if you would allow my brother and I to be seated with you? We would like to discuss how we could be of support."

The result was almost immediate. The blonde's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he nodded excitedly. "Of course, of course, I would love to meet your brother."

It seemed as soon as Naruto had spoken, Itachi was there; slightly taller than Sasuke with his dark all-seeing-all-understanding eyes and calculatedly benign smile. He extended his hand to Naruto first. "Uchiha Itachi, a pleasure to meet you, intended Hokage."

That alone was enough to bring back the color in Naruto's face, seeing as how he wasn't officially intended yet. "Uzumaki Naruto, and thank you very much. This is Sabaku no Gaara, my best friend and intended Kazekage."

Gaara gave a short bow but his large jade eyes seemed to soak everything up as they gazed at the brothers across from him. "A pleasure as well, Itachi Uchiha."

After his sixth sense intercepted an Ino glare, Naruto quickly directed everyone back to his table. As it turned out Gaara sat to Naruto's left, to his left was a member of Gaara's entourage, then Hinata, Neji, another Hyuuga member, Itachi, Sasuke and then back to Naruto. Sasuke watched out of the corner of his eye as Naruto turned to Gaara with a supportive smile. "You know, you did great. I think that was the best smile I've ever seen you do. It seemed so genuine." He whispered and Sasuke was just a little pissed when the redhead leaned slightly closer, blushing cutely, and whispered a 'Thank you'. Neither did Sasuke miss the interested glance from the Hyuuga across from him.

"You know when I suggested form a bond, this was not what I had in mind." Itachi shocked the shit out of Sasuke by whispering directly into his ear with a raised and haughty brow. He shrugged with finality. "Well, I suppose this works as well." He said, not so quietly. Ino was on stage announcing the next feature programmed and no one was particularly enraptured by just that.

"You said something, Uchiha-sama?" Hinata asked with a shy smile.

Sasuke nearly growled when Itachi sent him a smirk before replying with the utmost of manners. "Nothing at all, Hyuuga-dono. I was merely muttering to my brother, it was of no importance."

Neji raised his own brow at that. If there was anything anymore unbelievable it was Itachi Uchiha saying anything to his brother that was 'of no importance'. Especially with recent happenings. Hinata replied with her usual blush at the formal use of her title. "Please, call me Hinata."

"Oh, Neji." Naruto called. "I was just telling Gaara that when his training is done, I'm going to back to Suna with him and I wanted to know if you and Hinata wanted to come with me. It's not for another six months but, I thought I would ask you now. I know how busy you both are."

Gaara immediately scoffed and commanded his sand to follow his finger as it circled lazily in front of his face. " I am sure the Sunagakure climate is far too….indelicate for Hyuuga-sama." He spoke in his usual quiet, near no inflection tone, but the inflection it did have…

Naruto's eyes widened. "Did I miss something?" Or was Gaara coping an attitude?

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly but neither were looking at each other. Everyone had eyes on the stage and ears on the table. "I assure you, Sabaku-sama, that there is nothing _delicate_ about me."

Instead of letting his jaw drop at the heated response that came from the 'eternally composed' Neji, Naruto decided to do some professional backtracking. "I'm sorry Gaara, I should have asked you. The idea just sort of popped in my head. I'm sure everyone is really busy and Hinata is in med school right now anyway. How insensitive of me to just assume she could make time for leisure trip. Speaking of that how are you doing Hinata? Has it been difficult on you?"

Sasuke silently tipped his hat to Naruto's quality of diversion as the girl sputtered along trying to form a coherent sentence under Naruto's complete attention. He decided to join the conversation when she looked like she had finally managed some words. "What specialty are you majoring in?" He asked with his most gentle smile and was shocked when it didn't send her into another flushed hissy.

"I want to become a General Surgeon, that way I can help most cases except specialties. Not to mention it will be easier to apply for the CMHR seat."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you wanted that seat." Naruto laughed with a bright smile. "You'll be working right along-side me. Shizune-san is always advising Tsunade-baachan."

Hinata nodded with a ripe face and Sasuke had to wonder if she didn't devote her life to medicine for that reason alone. "Careful Otouto," was muttered to him, once again. "For all of your skill in subterfuge, you let what you're thinking show right on your face sometimes." He was really starting to hate the smirk on is brother's face. "So, Uzumaki-san," Itachi turned slightly to engage Naruto as a young high school boy delivered his award-winning speech. "When do you suppose you will be taking office?"

Ah, such a question was asked at every press conference Naruto had ever done and he had never given a concrete answer. At one point it was because he didn't have one, at another point it was because he didn't want to create a countdown. Yet somehow, he found it hard to dodge such a straight forward question from Uchiha Itachi. As he thought he kept his eyes on Itachi, never once letting them stray to the younger set sitting right next to him.

Sasuke caught on immediately. He had had the inking before that perhaps Naruto was avoiding him but the blonde was good at not making it a spectacle. He was definitely keeping his distance, not engaging in any eye-contact unless necessary. "Ano, I'm not sure actually." He sighed. "I know I will at least wait until I am twenty-five. I need to live life a bit before I can take up an office of leadership, don't you think?"

Itachi gave him a sage like nod. "Wisely stated. I would have to agree."

"But Naruto, do you really believe that a few years is all you need to have a full grasp on life?" A silly question with a million different answers and Sasuke knew it. No, the true intent of that question was the use of his name. He saw his brother's mouth turn up ever so slightly. He also saw how Naruto's cheeks pinked under his stare as he was forced to keep his gaze for the sake of propriety.

And Naruto knew he could not correct him, it just….wouldn't seem right. He had never corrected anyone else who called him 'Naruto' instead of 'Uzumaki-san' or whatever. In fact her rather enjoyed in, since he knew once he was Hokage, he wouldn't often have the luxury of that sort of intimacy. And yet, he felt slightly violated. Like the man next to him was trapping him on the green of the campus all over again. It was those eyes, those endless, black pools that screamed with ulterior motive. "No, but that's why I am trying to experience as much of life as I can, while I have the time." What was the question again? Did he even answer it right? Oh, dear Kami-sama, his mind was painfully blank.

"I see." Sasuke drawled out leaning forward slightly and keeping captive those bright blue eyes. "And what do you plan on doing to gain this experience?" He felt his lips curving upward and just couldn't stop them. It was with an inner woop of delight that he discovered his blonde's attention stray to them as well.

"Uh…" Sasuke had already been sitting a little close around the spacious table. And now he was taking the excuse of the loud music signaling the beginning of the fashion exhibit to lean even closer. Naruto was already beginning to smell him, it was making his eye lids heavy and his chest feel the urge to let loose a rumble, but he kept himself in check. What was the question again? Oh, dear he had been silent for far too long. Experience! "I'm not sure. I'll probably just make it up as I go along. First I'll finish school of course, and help Gaara." Finding a reason to break the spell he turned to his friend with a blink. "I'm sure I'll learn from your experience a bit vicariously."

"Of course, of course." Itachi affirmed. "Forgive my brother's intrusive questions. He can be quite curious at times." And when Naruto turned to give him his attention he had the sneaking suspicion that the man knew far more than he was letting anyone on. Naruto hadn't forgotten about the Suna detective's findings and the impending meeting with Tsunade=baachan. But looking at them now, and how they interacted with Gaara, Naruto just couldn't see it. But perhaps that's what made them good at what they did. He had no doubt that if Sasuke was the assassin, then Itachi Uchiha was the brain behind the operation. But why? What would they gain? Naruto had done research and found no immediate answers, though he had found out some rather interesting information. They had silent ownership of eighty-one percent of all oil leaving Suna and the previous Kazekage had not made any plans to change that, so it wasn't a money issue. What was left?

Naruto shook his head, prepared to respond when a hand was placed upon his shoulder. He looked to see Sakura standing there with a somewhat strained smile. She leaned down so he could hear her. "Ino told me to come get you. There was a problem with one of the designer's set so she's going to start the auction and pick up the fashion exhibit after it. She wants you to get ready in the back and change into your suit for you're number."

With a grateful sigh he stood. He pushed Sakura into his seat with a bright smile. "Here sit down for a minute, you look tired. I bet Ino is running you ragged like you're the staff. Have you met Gaara? He's a good friend of mine. And this is Uchiha Sasuke and his brother Uchiha Itachi. I'll be back after my number." He gave a friendly pat on Sakura's shoulders and left the table feeling lighter than he just had.

* * *

><p>The entire table was aware of the tense aura Sakura brought with her, though what exactly it was from was hard to tell. No one had done more than nod when Naruto had introduced Gaara, Sasuke and Itachi. Neji watched as the familiar pink haired woman eyed both Sasuke's completely turned body and Gaara's gravity defying sand with unease. It was Hinata that broke the cloud that seemed to have fallen with Naruto's departure. "Sakura-chan, are you sure you're alright? Would you like to sit here next to me?"<p>

And Oh, how Sakura wanted to take her up on the offer so she could be further from the invisible glower from Sasuke and the freaky sand around Gaara's right hand. But she didn't because she couldn't imagine how destructive such a cowardly decision would reflect on the 'bad girl' persona she was so painstakingly trying to create. No she had to woman up and face this. "Thanks Hinata, but I'm fine. Actually I was just wanted to see how everyone was enjoying this gala? I almost feel like I helped organize it, with all the work Ino is putting me through." She giggled in a cute manner.

Hinata shared a smile. "I'm enjoying it very much, Ino-chan always does such a wonderful job."

Sakura nodded and screwed her courage to it's sticking place. "And Uchiha-sama, Uchiha-san, how are you enjoying yourselves?" She saw Sasuke's back tense as Itachi turned and gave her a perfectly polite yet indifferent glance.

"A pleasure, as always. Please give my regards to Yamanaka-san."

Sakura nodded and turned an expectant gaze to Sasuke who was doing a wonderful job looking both polite and not at her. "I as well." He offered with a nod in her direction.

Well this just wouldn't do. She was going to have to show Sasuke that she meant business. "I'm glad, Uchiha-san. I wasn't sure if you were going to accept my invitation to the gala, so I'm glad to see you here. Perhaps we can finish our earlier conversation?"

"Oh, you both met before? I think Naruto-kun thought you didn't know each other." Hinata explained good-naturedly and Sasuke wanted then to kill Sakura Haruno.

Itachi resisted the urge to sigh. It seemed the amount of his Otouto's blunders just kept racking up. Sasuke was racking his brain for the best possible solution out of this mess. He decided to play towards her weakness. "Yes, I did recall, but that was some time ago. Forgive me if I had forgotten. I don't really seem to remember what we were speaking about either, and for that I apologize. Perhaps we can catch up afterwards, maybe dinner sometime?" If it wasn't for the fact that Sasuke wanted to pat himself on the back, he would be crying at the prospect of taking this pink haired monstrocity anywhere than her grave.

Sakura just about leapt out of her seat with a victory dance. "Of course Uchiha-san, I think dinner will more than make up for it."

"And now!" The lights dimmed as Ino's voice rang throughout the large hall. "The annual auction for a date with the future Hokage!" Spotlights illuminated a figure as he stepped from the side stage to come stand on the same platform artwork had been purchased mere seconds ago. Sasuke's mouth began to water, it was such a shame Itachi was the only one registered to bid. He was wearing a light beige suit, cinimmon colored vest with a starch pleated, white, wing-tipped shirt and thin cinimmon English tie. They had styled his hair so that it's normal messy texture created soft waves around him that still seemed carefree. He had his jacket flung over his back with one hand and his other struck a casual pose in his pocket. Naruto flashed his million dollar smile and for a few moments it was utterly silent in the entire hall.

"Aniki," Sasuke had forgotten to whisper. "I'm going to need you to win this bid."

* * *

><p><strong>[AN] I have to apologize that this took SOOOOO long to get out. I had the WORST case of writers block right along the lines of finishing up the gala. I just had to sit down and write and the re-edit and revise over and over again. Anywho, I certainly hope you guys liked it. I can't see uploading in the NEAR future, but hopefully no longer than a month from now. Going back to school so things will get a bit hectic. Don't forget to review!**

**P.S I forgot to mention this before but I updated again just to add this. I have a few pieces of amazing fanart that were DEFINITE inspirations for this piece. Check them out on my profile and let me know what you think. **


	3. Chapter 3

**[A/N] Wooaaahhh. Yeah, it's been a while. My apologies. I have been absolutely distracted and unable to commit to any extra writing, outside of classes. SUMIMASEN! Anywho, here's another chapter and for all of you worried if I'll drop this, don't. I have such love for my little baby, that I'll definitely be making some headway this summer. I predict, about three more chapters until school starts in the fall. Wish me luck, and Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Subduing a Fox<strong>

**Chapter Three**

Naruto remembered his rather humble upbringing. In fact, it was his pitiful childhood, his shock at the fact that his life had meant little in a metropolis like Konoha, his loneliness and poverty that pushed him to do all he could to help those in need. It was that same upbringing that taught him the meaning of hope, purity and humility. It was with this humility that Naruto did all he could to keep his grin from twisting with arrogance when Ino announced that all those able to start bids at six-hundred thousand, raise their panels. The response was a bit overwhelming and Naruto called upon all that was in him to keep any cocky smirks at bay. This was for the children, and the homeless, and those effected by the casualties of war. In no way was this auction any sort of ego booster. Really, it was just terrible how his mind thought.

Ino tried not to let her jaw drop. There had to be over a hundred people indicating that they were able to _start_ bids at six-hundred thousand. With a definitive nod she raised the microphone to her mouth. "Very well then, we'll start bids at six-hundred thousand. Now, our prize will tell him a little about himself just for any who aren't sure." She walked over to the literal auction block and indicated with a flourished wave. "Can you tell us your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." He drawled, unconsciously, with a bright smile. What he didn't know was that it leaned just a little more to one side than the other.

"And what is it you do?" Ino asked.

"I'm a student, as of right now." He answered with a nod. There were some murmurs. Apparently a few people didn't know that.

"And what is it you aspire to be?"

Naruto chuckled mirthfully, "Why, Hokage of course!"

Ino nodded and gestured again. "Naruto has assured us that he is comfortable with both male and female bidders. Do you confirm this?" She held up the microphone for him again.

"Yes." Naruto added a decisive nod of his own, accompanied by a grin. "I don't….discriminate." The pause was just suggestive enough, that when Naruto winked at Ino, in the spirit of exuberant friendliness and nerves, it came off more than a bit flirtatious.

There were some woops, cat calls and applause that heated up both blonde's cheeks nicely. Ino sauntered back to her podium with a raise of her hand. "Let's begin; we'll start at six-hundred and twenty. Do I see six-hundred and twenty? Six-hundred fifty? Six-hundred eighty? Seven-hundred thousand. Do I see seven-hundred thousand?"

Naruto glanced at Ino when she was silent for a moment as she gazed out at the many people holding up their panels. It didn't seem like there were many dwindling at all, though there were some. Sadly, Naruto didn't see Sakura bidding at all, but he understood. For some unspoken reason, it seemed tonight was for high rollers. "I see, we'll have to try larger increments." Naruto chuckled, his eyes falling on dark pools boring into him. He realized that Sasuke was not the one holding the Uchiha centerpiece that could be used as an auction panel, but he had no doubt that should the older Uchiha win, he would be handed over to the younger. And yet he couldn't keep himself from raising his brow with an arrogant lilt to the smile he challenged Sasuke with. He saw those eyes darken, and his face filled with something predatory. Naruto would be lying if he said it did nothing to him.

"Eight-hundred eighty. Do I see eight-hundred eighty?" Naruto blinked a bit realizing time had gotten away from him. Another sweep of the room had him noticing that bidders where thinning down. He would be 'sold' soon. Ino gave a dramatic pause before stepping from behind the podium and next to Naruto. "One million. Do I see one million for a date with our future Hokage?" There was a hush and Naruto wasn't surprised when it was down to two people now. What he was surprised about was that the previously still and un-participating Hinata Hyuuga was now holding up the Hyuuga panel. Across from her was Itachi, who looked annoyed, even with his elbow resting on the table, he had held up the panel then entire time without taking it down.

"Alright then!" Ino was definitely enjoying this too much. Her glee filled then entire hall, sending people in a buzz. "We're down to two bidders. I am going to ask the Uchiha bidder to state their limit please."

Itachi, seemingly happy to be able to set the bloody panel down, replied with a bored sounding. "Indefinite."

Ino became oddly quiet for a moment as she tried to understand how to deal with an answer like that. What if the Hyuugas said the same thing? Sasuke looked down right ready to cackle. "Alright then." She said slowly, turning her body to face Hinata. "How about the Hyuuga bidder, what is you limit?"

Hinata set down her panel and averted her face. She became so red that even from where Naruto was standing, he thought she might become faint. Neji sighed and spoke. "We concede."

* * *

><p>All in all it wasn't the absolutely asinine grin on the Uchiha's face that was bothering him; it was what that grin meant. As Naruto came off his hubris induced high, he realized what exactly had just taken place….he was half convinced to beg Ino to make some sort of exception and default the victory to Hinata. Everything afterward had gone off without a hitch, much to his PR's delight, and people were starting make fashionable exits. Any other time and the atmosphere around Naruto would have filled him with a pleasant buzz, but this time….it did not. It seemed anyone even somewhat important to him was at the table now as people began to trickle out into the midnight sky and the staff had begun cleaning. Naruto was back in his seat, Ino was casually leaning on the back of his chair speaking with Itachi and Neji about contributions to his charities and everyday occurring events. Gaara was watching quietly to the blonde's left and Shikamaru was doing the same with his arm around Ino and a politely bored air around him. Between Gaara and Neji were Sakura and Hinata speaking to Shizune about whatever medical topics they talked about that bored Naruto to tears. Honestly the setting would have been far less daunting if it were not for the youngest Uchiha.<p>

Throughout the evening he had grown closer, inviting poor Naruto into conversations and insisting he respond to anything said. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, he loved to talk, but normally a person's scent would not affect Naruto so largely. As the night had gone on the blonde became aware of his body, his instincts, his will and restraint. They were breaking, failing, falling into chaos and rebelling, all because of the arrogant asshole sitting next to him. And now as everyone was in a somewhat pleasant mood, Naruto was forcing an agreeable expression on his face as he subtly tried to dislodge the sneaky appendage crawling up his thigh under the table. Had this man no shame? Naruto almost eeped when Sasuke got downright frisky and ran his hand all the way up to Naruto's very inner thigh. Any higher and he would've had a fist full of Uzumaki family jewels! But what was worse was that he couldn't keep the near silent snarl from his lips as his face ticked toward Sasuke and his eyes deepened.

The raven haired man casually made eye contact and Naruto began to run his textured tongue over his own lips. He could feel the prickling sensation in the back of his mind as other facets of himself began to take over; he was just too tired to fight them off again. He had been fighting for a large portion of the night. The hand that had retreated after that daring move was back at the inside of Naruto's knee and was snaking upwards with little squeezes every now and then. When Sasuke moved his hand slightly and pressed his fingers into the back of a toned thigh he was rewarded with a subtle purr and fluttering lids, but also the suddenly rapt attention of the Kazekage.

Gaara felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He always did whenever another Jinchuuriki was losing themselves; it was his heightened sense of self-preservation. He glanced over towards Naruto and though the blonde wasn't facing him, he could see enough of his face to notice the whisker marks were long and pronounced as well as hear a slight rumble when he paid attention. If the satisfied smirk on the Uchiha's face was anything to go by, it was that man's fault. The dumbass didn't even know he was in danger. With a swift raise of his hand sand shot out so fast it was barely noticed by anyone, but oddly enough, he could tell both Uchiha had noticed. A thin band of Gaara's chakra-infused sand wrapped around the back of Naruto's head and connected at the points behind his ears at the beginnings of his jaw. It was a method he had been taught by Hatake Kakashi in case he ever needed to subdue his fox-like friend.

Casually, so as not to make a scene, he stood, using his right hand to make a small motion to control Naruto, making the blonde stand as well. He wrapped an arm around his waist and spoke dryly looking first at Sasuke, then at Ino. "He's tired. I'll be taking him home." The slightly taller blonde was not incapacitated but close to it and no one was able to see the reason, but the way Gaara spoke and then turned to leave with a shuffling Naruto left no room for debate. Still the redhead had to motion with his hand to help the other along and guide his movements and they made it into a limo without commotion or paparazzi. Gaara released his sand and almost immediately Naruto was asleep, perhaps in the morning Gaara would tell him what happened. Or perhaps not.

* * *

><p>Late the next morning found one Hyuuga Neji drinking piping black coffee to stave off the migraine he knew was imminent, the moment he agreed to indulge his cousin in a liquor-filled pity party. Her loss at the auction, was a devastating one. And so the trill ring from his phone, a certain sound only Hinabi would make, was both delighting and horrible. Delighting because that meant she had more news on the happenings in Suna. At one point Neji only wished to know because he made it his business to be in the know of just about everything. Now, it was with careful planning that he decided he would bring himself closer to the current Kazekage. One step at a time.<p>

"Speak." He sounded weary, even to himself.

"Hai. There have been movements in the Suna military. Rebellions if you will. It seems intel on the suspects of the assassination was leaked."

Neji was still in shock. Rebellion groups? Just _who_ were they rebelling against? Gaara wasn't even in seat yet, he hadn't even set a determined course to deal with the "suspects" as it were. Unless…"By rebellion, do you mean on a domestic level?"

"No."

Neji's mind whirled. "Hanabi, pinpoint the leaders of the commotion. If there is more than one, kill the stronger one and make it look like an accident of stupidity. Or if you can, make it scandalous. We need these fronts to lose faith."

"Understood."

Neji put down the phone and began to rub his temples. This little fire needed to be put out, or it could very well catch Konoha.

* * *

><p>"You're worried." It wasn't really a question and the look on Gaara's face as he stared at Naruto, explained that it wasn't meant to be. Naruto began to worry his lip, drum his fingers along the steering wheel, shift his eyes back and forth between the red light and other drivers, as well as bounce his left leg.<p>

"No I'm not, just anxious."

Gaara didn't even dignify that with a response as they made their way to City Hall. It was a relatively quiet drive, albeit a long one since Gaara lived on the other side of the city. When they arrived they took the main elevator down to the second basement floor before exiting and following a maze-like stream of corridors that Naruto knew by heart, before they were suddenly in front of a dark wood door with no door knob. Naruto held up his hand next to the door for a moment before it beeped lowly and slid open to reveal an elevator. Once inside, Gaara watched fascinated as Naruto had to hold up his hand once again while his other selected their designated floor. Such security measures would be hard to find in Suna. When the elevator opened the hallway was only dimly lit along with fluorescent lights that gave an eerie blue tint to everything. However, waiting right across from the elevator was one Shikamaru Nara, head intelligence agent.

"Intended Kazekage, welcome to Konohgakure's Dictation Chambers. We sincerely hope that here and now, we can forge a bond between our countries. Now if you will both follow me, the Sunagakure detectives arrived earlier and were escorted just down the hall." Naruto decided to let Gaara lead in front of him as they followed Shikamaru to a large conference room. Naruto had been in this room many times before, it was usually his debriefing room, but now it held a sense of…animosity. Oddly enough, it didn't seem to be coming from Gaara. There was a round table that Naruto could only describe as colossal, it could likely seat over twenty people easily. Tsunade was seated directly in view of the door and standing just behind her and against the wall was Shizune. Both detectives sat a ways from the Hokage, with their backs to a large flat screen television, with scowls on their faces. Shikamaru decided to sit directly across from them and as if following the fad, Naruto sat directly across from Tsunade with Gaara to his right. It was a tense setting.

"Lets get started, shall we?" Tsunade began, running a weary hand down her face. After a tensely silent moment she faced Gaara. "Your detectives tell me there is leading evidence against one of our strongest clans, the Uchiha. Can you think of any reason the Uchiha would have to assassinate your father? Perhaps something that is not commonly known?"

Gaara nodded slowly. "I have given it much thought, and I must say that I cannot think or remember anything that would significantly link the two."

The head detective snorted and cast his eyes toward the red head. "Gaara-sama, there have been a number of times when one Uchiha, or both have come to Suna for business dealings and even met the previous Kazekage."

Gaara didn't blink, nor did he turn his attention from Tsunade. "My point is that I cannot see any link between my father and the Uchiha that would warrant something on such a grand scale as this. The Uchiha both strike me as people more inclined towards, subtlety.

Naruto fidgeted, wondering if Gaara was able to tell just _how_ inclined toward subtlety they were. But then, how could he? The blonde spoke, "There is the question of the needle. It's true that it is something of a calling card, but in this day and age, the LAST thing anyone wants is a calling card at the scene of a crime."

Gaara nodded, looking to Naruto. "I thought so as well."

Tsunade sighed, "However, I cannot dismiss that it is an Uchiha needle, an authentic one at that. I knew the previous head of the clan, and I know for a fact that Fugaku kept all treasures locked away. The only people I can think of that would have access to a needle that old would be Itachi and Sasuke themselves."

Shikamaru raked a hand over his face in exasperation. "So we need to interrogate them then?" He looked toward Tsunade, while Naruto broke out in a cold sweat.

The Hokage nodded slowly. "Yes." She turned her full attention toward Gaara. "I will have them in for questioning in a week, at the most. Depending upon what they do or don't say, I'll let you know where to go from there."

The head Suna detective gave a snort, his back ramrod straight as he shot Tsunade a look just a hair from being rude. "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I am sure that the Kazekage is well within his rights to demand to question them himself. We wouldn't want any, miscommunication between our people should the Uchiha prove guilty, I'm sure."

While Naruto considered the man way out of line, and just downright rude, Gaara simply furrowed his brow in thought and turned toward Tsunade. The Hokage sighed, her brow twitching at the Suna detective's behavior. "Of course," She bit out. "I see no reason why the Suna party shouldn't be present during questioning. However, _I_ will be the one to question the Uchiha. This is a delicate matter, and those two are of a mind that if they are guilty, it would take skill to get them to say anything that might be the least incriminating or lead to a clue."

There was a terse silence that seemed to lend to the affirmative. The head detective stood up in a decidedly arrogant fashion. "If that is all, Hokage-sama?" He asked while picking up the thick clear evidence bag that housed the needle.

"Yes." Tsunade said standing. "You will leave the evidence with us, I want labs to double and triple test authenticity as well as trace all substances that have ever touched that thing."

The detective looked ready to turn and argue but Gaara stood up so swiftly his chair fell with a loud bang and all eyes jumped to him. Gaara's wide jade eyes were narrowed on the Suna detective as he whispered. "Obey." Even Naruto was a little shocked. Perhaps Gaara felt they were being a tad disrespectful as well?

There was nothing else said as both detectives bowed with great deference to Gaara and then Tsunade before filing out. Naruto took Gaara's arm and also led him out. Tsunade sat, staring at the evidence bag, Shikamaru and Shizune both silent. Finally the Intel agent gave a trademark sigh. "So you want the Uchiha in? When?"

Tsunade tapped a tapered fingernail against the polished table surface as she stared at the needle within the evidence bag, demanding answers. "As close to now as you can get."

* * *

><p>Sasuke stared up the double flights of lavished, red velvet stairs. They bowed away from each other, accenting the classically checkered tiles of the main foyer. With a sigh he started up the right flight, a seemingly never ending endeavor. He was apprehensive, it was not every day he was called to his brother's suite. When the decadent dark, cherry wood door appeared he gave a knock and waited patiently, somewhat hoping his brother wasn't there. Something just didn't feel right.<p>

"Enter, Sasuke."

Itachi was reclining on a long seteé that faced his fire place, a laptop in his hand and glasses low on his nose. He looked up and motioned toward an adjacent loveseat to his far left. There was so much space between them. Sasuke spoke after a minute of silence. "You called me Aniki? What's wrong?"

Itachi raised a brow and set his laptop to the side, to fully face his brother. "What leads you to believe something is troubling me, Otouto?"

Sasuke shifted, looking around the dimly lit room. Idly, he wondered if his brother ever had a lover in this room. "You never call me to your bedroom. What has made you call me here now?"

Itachi was quiet for a while and simply stared at Sasuke, his younger brother keeping his gaze, and both trying to analyze the other. Finally Itachi rose and crossed the room to a dark wooded bureau. He walked back and placed two small white pills in Sasuke's hand, a glass of water that had been sitting on the coffee table was put in his other. "Drink these, now."

Sasuke held his brothers gaze and put one in his mouth, he swallowed without water and then took a drink. "You have not had me take these in quite a while now, Aniki. What has changed? What are you not telling me?"

Itachi's nostrils flared slightly and his jaw tightened. "Take the other." Was his only response before returning to his seat. "We have much to discuss." When Sasuke had dutifully taken his last pill Itachi replaced his glasses and looked back to his laptop before speaking again. "I have recieved an interesting email. We are requested…no, demanded at the Hokage's office in one week."

A frown marred the younger's face. "Why is that?"

Itachi shook his head slowly. "I have not an idea. Do you?"

"None." And Sasuke was not pleased to say so. There was more silence, much less tense, as Sasuke sipped his water casually and let his mind wander around and back to his illusive little blonde. Just when was he able to collect on his date? The Kazekage had swooped Naruto away so quickly he hadn't been able to work out the details.

"You've been distracted."

Sasuke sighed and set down his empty glass. He nodded, oddly just noticing the murals on his brother's ceilings, "I know." Was his somber reply.

"You've been making mistakes."

Well Sasuke could take that for what it was. He still hadn't handed his brother the next quarter's health regulations, and the clock was ticking. Still, it hurt his pride to hear it out loud, especially from his Aniki. "I have been." Was as much of a concession as Sasuke could stand.

"Is it Naruto?"

That question hit him out of the blue. Especially the _way_ his brother had just said that name. "Eh?" was the intelligent response.

"Naruto, you know, the blonde future Hokage? You've been blundering around since your first interaction with him." Itachi was merciless in his remarks.

Sasuke seemed to soak this in as truth. "I…was not aware."

"Yes," Itachi was up again, at his liquor bureau poring both him and his younger brother a drink. "that seems to be the problem. What about this one has you so… preoccupied?"

Sasuke scoffed. "I am not _preoccupied_ he is simply, a challenge. You understand how much I like challenges."

"Oh?" Itachi smirked a smirk that reminded Sasuke of where he had learned if from in the first place. "And what exactly _is_ so challenging? He didn't seem all that receptive to you at the gala."

Sasuke's cheeks pinked and he growled lowly while he mumbled out, "He wasn't _unreceptive_ to me, just…"

"Come now Otouto," He set his Sasuke's drink down in front of him before taking a sip of his own. "he would barely even look at you the entire night before the Kazekage had to drag him away."

"I'm working on it, Aniki." Sasuke pouted. "Besides, it won't be that way for long. I'm going to use that date to turn it around."

Itachi raised a brow. Every now and then, much more rarely that he wished it, a wonderful opportunity to tease his little Otouto would fall from the sky and into his lap. "You're sure this time? Or would you like me to do it?" Itachi's smirk actually showed teeth when Sasuke's look darkened and the younger one started to grit his teeth. "Oh relax, Otouto, I shall allow you the pleasure of your little blonde. Now, I have a mission for you and you must be done before the end of the week."

* * *

><p>Sakura entered the elitist hotel looking every bit of important as she felt. The adjoined restaurant was one of the top of its class and with a few steps she was already turning heads. She had styled her pixied, bubblegum locks into perfect asymmetry, her heels rose her at least six inches off the ground, her expensively bedazzled clutch glittered with her nails, her body hugging LBD left little to the imagination and with her cat-eyed make up and added dark lashes, she knew she looked sultry. And most importantly, badass. She was purposefully eight minutes late to arrive and was gladder for it when she was approached before even having to talk to the maître d'.<p>

With a bow a waiter addressed her. "Excuse me madam, right this way."

Sakura enjoyed the look of jealousy from several other well-decked women in an informal line as she was escorted to a set of stairs well off the beaten path. Sakura found that they had to have gone up at least two flights and the higher she went, the dimmer the lights grew and the less she could see until she was directed to a very large and dark room. Several feet over was one table, with one yellow, overhead light shining down on one Sasuke Uchiha. He was smoking a cigar, and the scent made her think of campfire on a beach at night. There was a magnificent view through several wall length windows succeeding each other. Sakura took her time stalking to her chair and with the grace of a panther, she sat herself. Because honestly, what truly badass fem fatale wasn't graceful?

"You're late." Was the first thing Sasuke said.

"You're smoking." Sakura quipped, laying her clutch on the table and purposefully directing her view out the window. "You do that often?"

When Sasuke was quiet for a while she finally let her green gaze fall back to him. He was staring at her intensely, as if trying to figure something out. Normally Sakura would have been delighted, but she just could shake those eyes he had given her on the night of the Gala. When she had been touching Naruto. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak and clouds of smoke wafted from his pale lips. "Occasionally."

A waiter chose then to enter and pour perfectly chilled red wine in deep glasses. Sakura eyed it with apprehension, she didn't want any alcohol but Sasuke was scrutinizing every detail about her that she naturally grabbed her glass and sipped, hoping for the best. The waiter was just opening his mouth to ask about choices for dinner before Sasuke waved his hand, "Leave." Not a spare glance was given to Sakura before the young man made himself scarce. "We'll dispense with the pleasantries for now, Haruno-san. Let me hear your offer once more."

Sakura nodded, and looked out of the window once again, feeling her stomach quiver. Some things just weren't adding up. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, keeping her green eyes on the millions of lights from the city. "Your connection to Naruto…"

Sasuke set his glass down so slowly one would have thought it was a pressure sensitive bomb. "What?" He asked in a manner that made is sound more like a growl.

Sakura ran her hand through her hair in a practiced motion. "Your connection to Naruto…what is it?" She realized as she asked this, she really needed to know.

"What does this have to do with you allocating me next quarter's health regulations, Haruno-san?" Sasuke was trying not to crack his wine glass into her neck, he was really trying.

Sakura spared her glossy manicured nails a blow. "I want to know." She said just as easily.

Sasuke shrugged casually and leaned back into his chair. "Another friend in a high place. Why does this matter to you?"

"Because he's my friend." Sakura was more than disappointed when her voice wavered but the look of pure determination and conviction she poured into Sasuke's black gaze spoke where her voice couldn't. "Naruto wouldn't usually associate with your kind, I just want to make sure he is…safe."

"My kind?" Sasuke asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Yes, your kind." Sakura looked back out the window. It was such a pretty view. She wasn't even aware when her lip turned up ever so slightly in disgust. "Saturated in money."

Sasuke let this sink in. It was odd how useful pieces of information could sometimes just come from nowhere. "As interesting as your conjectures about my lifestyle are, I would really rather finish my business with you. What is your price, Haruno-san? And please be quick about naming it, I am growing, tired of your games." Sasuke let his natural irritation flood his voice.

With a sigh Sakura picked up her only-once-sipped drink. "It's quite the same as before, Uchiha-san." She looked back into his unwavering gaze. "Your body for the next quarter. I will concede to once a week." She said with a nod of finality.

Sasuke waved his hand. "I will have complete control over where and what day. It will not always be at night and if the time is inconvenient for you, that will be your problem. Understood?"

Sakura nodded. "That is fine with me. I will translate segments each week to ensure there are no…accidents. I'm sure you understand?"

Sasuke scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "How soon can I receive the first part?"

"I can email it to you right now." But with a wine glass in hand, Sakura made no move toward her clutch. She continued looking at Sasuke.

After a moment Sasuke relented and stood. "Well, come on then. Let's get this over with."

The ride upwards about seventy floors, should have been awkward. Sasuke clearly didn't want anything to do with Sakura, and now Sakura was having mixed feelings about involving herself with Sasuke; but it wasn't. When it came right down to it, Sasuke was Sakura's perfect example of a man. Long, lean, dark, intense and arrogant. Dear God in heaven his glare near made her wet, and there was no amount of disdain on his side that would shame her out of a chance to fuck him silly. When they arrived on a floor just below the penthouse level, Sakura realized that he must have already made provisions for this encounter and did a small victory dance in her head. Aloud she made a swanky comment. "I see that you're already prepared." She set her clutch down on a marble coffee table and looked around the dimly lit room that reeked of money.

Sasuke scoffed, loosening his tie and slipping out of his shoes. "Honestly I've had quite enough conversation with you so either get on the bed or get out the room." It was all said with such an egotistical tilt to his head that Sakura felt her knees weaken.

"As you wish." She rolled her eyes for bravado's sake, before untying her halter and letting the little slip pool onto the floor. She hadn't worn a bra, because she hadn't needed to. So there she stood, outwardly seeming all the international model/badass femme fatale assassin, while inside she shrieked with insecurities. Sakura had on nothing but lacy panties, heels, and fantastic makeup. "Would you rather the heels stay on, or off?" She asked with a graceful shrug of one shoulder.

Sasuke actually paused in the removal of his black button down, to peruse the body before him. She was well formed, long legs, nice size chest, fair hips and skin. Perfect really. He tried to get himself into this. He cocked his head slightly. "Leave them on." And then the shirt was gone and his pants were on the floor and before Sasuke really even had time to think about how he was going to go about things, Sakura was on the floor in front of him, tugging down his boxers licking up his flaccid cock. Though it didn't stay flaccid for long, as Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to imagine a faceless mouth. It was with skill that she ate him up, humming and stroking what she couldn't cram down her pretty little throat. His hips were giving small jerks when she released him with a 'pop' and pushed him back on the bed. When she had shimmied out her lacy panties, Sasuke would never know, because before his head hit the comforter she was sliding down his dick with a quickness.

It felt good, she was tight and she didn't make obnoxious whining sounds like some females did. Her nails were digging into his shoulders and pecks and he liked that. Sometimes, when he would give a harsh thrust upward she would make a chocking sound and he liked that. But every time he opened his eyes and saw her pink head bobbing above of him, it wouldn't do. It just wouldn't do. So it was with an economic sort of efficiency that Sasuke dislodged and flipped the bitch over until her face was right where he wanted it. He leaned over, once he realized she didn't smell annoyingly flowery, and latched onto her shoulder with his teeth. His mind wandered and he realized that his first and foremost fantasy was there but in a disjointed light. It was because she and Naruto had a history. He couldn't just picture himself fucking Naruto, not while he was fucking this girl, whom he KNEW wanted to fuck Naruto too. His pace increased out of agitation and anger. She couldn't have Naruto, and if her not having Naruto required a sacrifice on his part, then so be it.

Sasuke could feel it in his belly, the tightening, rising, coiling, and it was with a shock that he remembered he did not have a condom on. And so he pulled out, flipping the panting mess back around, stroked himself twice and came all over her face. He wanted desperately to tell her it was all her face was good for, but he refrained. Sasuke hadn't really cared if she came or not, but he suppose she had, with the way she laid there with a satisfied curl to her lips. Normally he would shower again before redressing but he couldn't wait even that long. So he was re-buttoning he shirt while crossing the threshold and calling out, "Check out is at two. I expect those files in my email before then."

* * *

><p>Kiba Inuzuka was just leaving the customs office when a sigh left him. He wasn't one to really sigh, he wasn't one to complain either, but this mission had been a long and exhausting one. Kiba was a trained animal specialist and while Konoha didn't use trained animals too often, such was not the same elsewhere. He'd been gone for three long months, hardly a break given, and with the added language barrier there had been, he didn't want to leave Konoha for a while now. But he knew he would have to, eventually. The cab ride from the airport to his compound was expensive, but Kiba wasn't one to deal with the anxiety of driving. So he sucked it up and with the anticipation of his noisy yet comforting household, he waited patiently through the ride.<p>

As Kiba entered the compound gates one of the first things he noticed was the silence. Silence here, was not a good thing. Perhaps his scatter-brained mother had let the dogs into the surrounding forest again? It was always a pain trying to get them all back. He sighed again; this was not something he wanted deal with just coming back home. His main house was rather large, enough to be called a small mansion, but he would rather call it a house. His rooms were on the top most floor and they were all his. He liked open space so he had knocked some walls down so that there were really technically, only two rooms; Kiba's bedroom/study/library/living room/kitchenette, and then the bathroom. The Three lower floors were full of official rooms to entertain in, normal family rooms, his sister and mother's bedroom, guest rooms and so on. It was in the ante-chamber where Kiba put down one of his larger bags when he smelled something …or _somethings_ weird. He followed his nose into the main parlor where a light suddenly blinded him and a deafening roar of "Surprise!" nearly caused him to bark.

Kiba looked around at all the people standing there grinning at him and he felt a goofy smile take over his face. Naruto sauntered up his way. "Hahaha! Your face was priceless! Got you good, dog-face!"

"Yeah, yeah." Kiba laughed, mock punching Naruto in the shoulder. But the blonde was not to be deterred he latched an arm around Kiba's shoulder and directed him toward food and people.

"You were gone a long time, thought a welcome back party was in order. How was the assignment, by the way?" Naruto clearly didn't expect Kiba to answer just then because he grinned as Hanna, his sister, came and tackled Kiba bodily, as many guests did soon after.

Perhaps a full hour later Kiba reencountered Naruto with a blazing red head that he could only assume to be Gaara no Sabaku, though it had been a while since he had seen his face. And it had always been from afar. "Kiba! Come here and meet my good friend Gaara. Gaara this is Kiba, we've been friends since infancy, though I don't know why."

Kiba prided himself on being a great judge of character. Everyone did actually. Perhaps it had something to do with his unnaturally high amount of animal traits such as instinct, smell, sight and sound, but off the bat, Kiba could tell who someone was with eye contact and a handshake. Wide jade eyes and desert dry hands told him little, but he was oddly comforted. This Gaara, was devoted to Naruto. So as Kiba finally smiled, Naruto let out a sigh of relief and Gaara, now thoroughly practiced, let loose one of his small smiles. "Nice to finally meet you Gaara, I've heard a lot about you. Congratulations by the way, on you Intending, and my condolences for your father. Have they caught the killer?" Kiba asked in good humor.

Gaara, not looking particularly passionate shook his head. "No, but according to the current Hokage, we should be on our way."

Kiba was confused by this, but Naruto swooped in with a well-placed distraction and inquired once again about Kiba's mission. "Well enough," The breeder said with a lopsided smile. "The Mizukage must have asked me about you at lease a hundred times."

Naruto's poor cheeks heated up thinking about the very forward leader of the Hidden Mist Village. "Ahhh, yeah. Sorry about that. Did you tell her anything weird?"

Kiba's face seemed to split with the insincerity of his grin. "Not at all."

"Kiiiibaaa~" Naruto whined, convinced his friend had been an ass to him via long distance. "What did you say? I have to keep a good relationship with them!"

Gaara was very interested now. "By them," His dry voice deadpanned. "do you mean '_her'_?"

Kiba guffawed. Naruto whined, "Et tu, Gaara?" The blonde's phone rang conveniently and he excused himself to answer. "Moshi-moshi."

"Ahh, Naruto, am I interrupting?" Neji's smooth voice sounded just barely above the party.

"Ah, we threw Kiba a welcome back party, I sent you an invitation, remember?"

Neji cursed himself for forgetting and also for his cursed cousin's weak demeanor. Had he been in attendance, this phone call would have been unnecessary. "I do remember, my apologies, I was otherwise engaged earlier. I called concerning your friend…Gaara. I shan't beat around the bush Naruto, I would like to get to know him better, but he seems a bit…adverse to me." The Hyuuga grit his teeth with his admission. Though he had steeled himself to do the unavoidable task of seeking the blonde's help, the words were actually burning his throat on the way out.

Naruto wished he had a way to go back in time and record those words. He was in such shock that it took Neji calling him to bring him out of his stupor. "Neji are you…are you asking for my help?"

Neji tsked, the airhead wasn't going to be easy on him. "Yes, Naruto, I am."

He was quiet just a bit longer to bask in the rare/never occasion. "Alright, what would you like from me? You say you want to get to know him?"

"Yes. What sort of things does he like to do? What does he respect in a person? How did you become friends?"

Naruto walked out toward the back yard and away from the noise. He scratched his chin in thought. "Well, I actually can't tell you too much since Gaara is hard to put in…words. I can tell you he respects power and honesty. He is a bit of a no nonsense type of character. As for how we became friends…I don't really remember. That part of my past is very difficult for me to, access."

Neji was genuinely surprised by this confession. "I see. He does seem a bit adverse to frivolities. But really, you say you're such close friends and you don't know what he likes to do? His hobbies?"

Naruto thought a little harder. Of course Gaara had never just come out and said what his hobbies were to Naruto. The blonde also had the sneaking suspicion that Gaara liked to do a lot of staring into space, which translated into 'nothing'. But…"He does like to read. He definitely has an affinity toward the music of his country. OH! I just remembered something but…I don't think he would like me sharing it with you."

"Ehh?" Neji narrowed his sights on the blank wall before him. The little tease! "Naruto, you can't very well incite me like that and then NOT tell me!"

Naruto had to move the phone away and muffle his laughter. This was the most excited he had seen Neji in …ever! "I'm sorry man, but really. How about this, you show me you're for real with this, with _him_, and I'll tell you if he doesn't hint to it himself. Alright?"

Neji grumbled out an affirmative, in the poorest of sport. "Anyway Naruto, I would like to see him, face to face, and I know he wouldn't just accept an invitation from me, so I propose a press conference."

"Oh?" Naruto was all ears now. "Just to see Gaara? And what will we talk about?"

"My official support for him, of course."

Naruto pulled away to look at his phone. Was Neji serious? "You would officially support him? Why?" The blonde became instantly suspicious. Could this really just be over wanting to date him?

Neji sighed, exasperated. "I know what you're thinking and I'm not plotting anything alright? I have a …genuine interest in Gaara, so don't make me say anything more out loud. Will you help me or not?"

Naruto snickered. The Hyuuga was getting snippy; he was really serious about this. "Alright, fine. Send me the info and I'll get him there."

The other exhaled, suddenly feeling lighter. "Alright, Mr. Future Hokage, we've got a deal."

And just like that the conversation was over.

Gaara had been left with Kiba watching the blonde head walk out of the room. The Kazekage could tell he was being judged and usually it held no bearing on his person, but this man, Kiba Inuzuka, was a dear friend of Naruto's. He found that it, oddly enough, was making him nervous and that he did not want to do anything unseemly. "You're close with Naruto." The red head stated, it wasn't a question, as Gaara turned his gaze to warm brown eyes that were already trained on him.

"Yeah, since damn near birth. He's had it rough, but I think you know that. You two seem close as well."

Gaara's head shifted a little in thought. "We can be. And then sometimes we go years not knowing if the other is even alive."

Kiba nodded slowly. "And when you come back?"

"Come back?"

"Yeah, when you see each other again. How does it feel?"

Gaara chewed his lower lip in thought, but only for a short moment. "Like yesterday."

Kiba smiled, a warm large smile, and placed an arm around the thin shoulders of the shorter man. "Then you're close alright. Close as close can get."

Gaara felt his cheeks heat. It seemed he had been approved of. "Then…I am glad."

Kiba laughed, throwing his head back. "Well this is a party." He shortly shoved a glass in Gaara's hands. "Drink! It has always been a rule of ours that no one leaves an Inuzuka party _completely_ sober."

Gaara only had time to whisper, "How dangerous." Before he was forcefully chugging something smooth but a bit spicy and warming his insides. He wondered if Naruto knew he had never drank before?

* * *

><p>Naruto was sure there was something out there now. Some higher power that ruled the fates. And it didn't like him; he knew this. He could tell by the way the arrogant jerk he had been hoping to <em>never<em> see again in his life was waiting outside of his Political Science building on campus. With the determination of a martyr he traipsed past him and toward the parking deck. He thought, with the telling tale of silence, that perhaps the jerk had gotten a hint and left him alone. But that wonderful epiphany vanished in purple dream-filled smoke as he was ambushed, quite roughly, into the nearest dark corner.

"I certainly hope that wasn't your best attempt at evasion." Came the very first thing said out of that sinful mouth.

Already Naruto could feel his blood pressure skyrocketing. "I can arrange for Ino to give you and your brother your donation back. Quietly I might add, so let's just act like the whole thing never happened, and go our separate ways."

Sasuke was actually taken aback by the seriousness in Naruto's tone. There were so many important reasons why Sasuke couldn't just _let_ that happen. And Naruto wanting to distance himself from Sasuke at the exact same time as he and his brother are mysteriously summoned by the Hokage, is all just a coincidence? He thought not. But even with all of these super important particulars running through his brain, just looking at those wide bluer-than-blue eyes and sun kissed face was enough to inspire quite the irrational sense of jealousy at, absolutely nothing at all. He wouldn't just let him go. He hadn't even had him yet. Perhaps if he could just get a piece, a taste, he could let go, satisfy himself with conjectures of what could have been, and let go. But not now; not right now.

Sasuke leaned his forearm next to Naruto's head, his other hand rubbed at his own chin in a thoughtful manner. "Hmmm, nope. I won you, so now I want you."

Naruto cursed his sheltered, and often naieve mind frame, as just that bold statement alone sent him blushing madly. People just didn't _say_ these things outloud. "Well-well, I don't want you!"

"You didn't fork up three-million for a date with me."

Naruto paled. "Th-three million?" That was a lot of money. He could do so much, help so many, with that money. That was a lot of money, for a DATE.

Sasuke leaned closer and hummed in the affirmative. "Three whole million."

Naruto blushed deeper and turned his head, starting to inch away, or at least put a bit more space between them. Why was it this asshole always had him pinned somewhere? What did he have against personal space? "Well, the money can be returned. I don't want to go anywhere with you."

"Oh?" Sasuke relented and took a genial step back, though not far. "And why is that? What have I done to offend you?" There was a marked smirk on his face that spelled such bullshit the blonde could smell it.

"You-" Naruto had a mind to call him a low-down, dirty, back stabbing assassin but had the mind to shut himself up. "You're always- you act like-you just- you ARE offensive!" He finally huffed out, taking another step toward a more populated area of the parking deck.

There was a moment before Sasuke did something strange and just…laughed. His onyx eyes seemed to sparkle and his vampiric-like complexion actually gained some color in his mirth. His voice was superbly pleasing to Naruto's ears. The perfect blend of baritone pitch and something throaty; something unmistakably masculine. "I _am_ offensive?"

Why was it so easy to look at him? Damn him. Naruto knew what was happening, he was growing fond of the assassinating, arrogant Uchiha. With his good looks and infinite wallet. He was probably born with a platinum spoon in his mouth and never told 'no'. It was rather belatedly that Naruto realized, in the silence, that he had been staring right at said mouth and that Sasuke was watching him stare with that-that _look _on his face. He couldn't stand it! With a huff he turned away, attempting to keep some kind of dignity, some kind of poise. Damn, it was like he couldn't hide a thing on his face around him! Sasuke caught his elbow, spinning him like his own body belonged to the dark haired male rather than Naruto. Another hand grasped the fabric of his shirt on the small of his back, pushing him into the other's hard body. He was trapped. And why did this feel so familiar? "Don't walk away from me." It wasn't even a request, but a command.

"So now I can't walk where I want to without your permission?"

"That's not what I said, but I like that better."

Naruto felt his lip curling in a snarl. He couldn't remember feeling this nasty towards anyone is a really long time. "You're ridiculous. Let go of me."

Sasuke made a point of pulling him closer and being not at all gentle about it. "Naruto, _dear_, asking nicely won't always get you what you want." He lowered his face, skimming his nose and lips down Naruto's cheek. "Begging however…"

What was really irritating was how his breath hitched at the mere thought of being forced to beg the Uchiha. It made his gums tingle with the telling sign of elongating teeth. Especially that whisper, that throaty, sensual whisper. Kami he wished he would stop it. "You're a real piece of work, you know that? I'm not begging you for shit."

"Ooo, that was a naughty word, Hokage-sama." Hips were roughly pressed against Naruto's, it was startling. "Perhaps you need to be punished?" Nauto felt his chin jerked upwards and teeth started to scrape softly down his jugular before a jaw locked on softly, closing just enough to show Naruto he was at the other's mercy. He started to slightly hyperventilate at the fact that though it was dark, this was still a very public place. His brain told him that this dude was crazy. He couldn't just go around trapping, molesting and biting near strangers! However, the animal inside warned him that there was someone more dominant than himself, to cease fighting, submit and be still. In the end, just what Naruto did.

Sasuke hummed around the blonde's adam's apple, delighting in the power surging through him. Such a powerful being succumbing to him, folding, melting against the wall he was pinned to; it was intoxicating. He could feel the bulge pressed against his thigh hardening. What a kinky little future Hokage Konoha would soon be having. He actually _liked_ having his free will taken, whether he knew it or not. The dark haired aggressor closed his jaw just a little more and the body against his cried out and began sinking to the floor. Sasuke grabbed handfuls of Naruto's ass and shoved him back against the wall, earning himself another whimper. "Sasuke." It was a plea. An entreaty to stop before things got too out of control. Not quite begging yet, but he was getting there. He would just have to show his wily little fox who was boss.

"Mmm, that wasn't too convincing. Maybe if you added some respect." It was a bit difficult to talk around skin, but the Uchiha made it work. Moreover he could feel his captive shaking with every gesture of his lips. It was utterly addicting.

"Please, Sasuke-sama." Naruto heard this but couldn't actually believe he has said it. And just as soon as the indignation swept through him, it fled when Sasuke's chuckle vibrated the column of his neck. Somewhere in his head, he reminded himself that he would be forever shamed if he came from that alone.

The darker haired one laughed darkly. "Please what, Naruto?"

Ahhh such a tricky question. And really, who could expect Naruto to actually have a coherent answer at the time? What was it that the blonde wanted? To stop? To be put down and left alone by this assuming jerk that had just run into his life? Yes, those all seemed like alluring answers if he could just get his mind off of the evil hips rolling into his and that damned mouth creating sin against his throat. "Please let me down." Yes! A dignified answer that made sense and was actually what he meant!

Sasuke hummed with disapproval but actually proceeded to release Naruto in all forms. When they were exactly three feet apart and breathing evenly with all body parts back under control, Naruto made a pointed decision to walk away. "I let you go and you start running away? Not a very brave future Hokage."

"Will you just leave me alone?" Naruto growled, near losing his patience, as he tried to hurry and make his way towards his car. A hand reached an apprehended his arm once again.

"No. I won something and I will be collecting what's due to me." Before Naruto could begin his growling protests, Sasuke held up his finger. "But, I am willing to accept a bribe to leave you alone today."

When the pressure around his arm did not lessen and Naruto was faced with the fact that he may indeed, be trapped in the University parking deck for Kami knew how long with this pervert, he relented. "What bribe?"

"Your phone number."

The answer came to him so quickly Naruto realized he must not have said it out loud as Sasuke looked as if he was still waiting for a reply. "No."

Sasuke shrugged. "Okay, I guess I could treat today like our date." And just like that he had poor Naruto against some fellow student's car, hips, thighs and chests pressed together. His dark head was burrowed at the joining of Naruto's neck and shoulder and his hands were wandering nowhere modestly. From zero to sixty in just a few seconds? What was _wrong_ with this guy?

"Alright already! Will you stop molesting me?"

With a noise of reluctance, that very nearly had the blonde whining, Sasuke pulled away and wiggled the fingers on his out stretched hand. "Give me your phone." Naruto grumbled a number of insults but dug out his phone none the less and watched as Sasuke exchanged…whatever and handed it back. As soon as it was safely back in his clutches, Naruto began a speedy retreat to his car. He was detained yet again, flung back into a hard chest and aroused hips. His face exploded into such shades of red, he became light headed. "I'll be waiting for our date, Mr. Future-Hokage."

With a neatly placed roll of the hips, meant to convey exactly what Sasuke thought of that date, he did one of the hardest things he had to do all day. And walked _away_ from a delightfully stunned Naruto. Ahh, it was all for the cause.

* * *

><p>Oorochimaru was a cautious man. He hadn't gotten to where he was by being rash. Shrewd! Yes, shrewd would describe him perfectly. He also liked to think he was gracious. The epitome of humanity. He also realized that many people did not agree on that fact, he could also care less. And he was having such fun, enjoying the finer things in life. He had realized it was on the backs of two other's but he didn't care. He relished in it. It wasn't like he had anything <em>against<em> the Uchiha brats, but he also didn't like them. Not one bit.

Well maybe that wasn't true. He did want to sink his fingernails into the wealth of Itachi's hair and make the boy do wicked things with his mouth. For that was what Itachi was and would always be to him, a boy. But he also realized that even holding that decade old parlor trick of 'Do you want a sibling?' wasn't enough for that. Itachi would just as soon kill him on the spot. Or attempt to, anyway. Ahhh, talk about a loss. But causing enough mayhem in the eldest Uchiha's life to keep him alone, was good enough for the snake. Also spying on him when he took showers was particularly stimulating.

Kabuto's near-nonexistent entry disturbed Oorochimaru's thoughts. "Anything innnteressssting?"

Kabuto nodded with a marked scowl. "He moved quite a lot in the last few days. I lost him somewhere in the Hidden Grass Metropolitan and caught him when he returned to Konoha. That same night he met the Assistant CMHR, fucked her and left before she could even say "Thank you." The very next day he's pushed up against our very own future Hokage. He's quite the busy man."

Oorochimaru nodded in thought. "You don't ssssound very happy about thhhat."

Kabuto tried for an unaffected shrug. "It's a bit jarring is all. I thought he was the sickly little brother?"

There was an evil laugh filled with all the things children were afraid of. "Yesssss, he issss. Only, he doesssn't know it." Kabuto pouted a bit, causing the older man to come back to his original thought. His apprentice could be quite a handful at times with his unpredictable homicidal urges. "You knooow better than to get emotttttiiiionallllly involved, yessss?" When the bespeckled apprentice just nodded once more, he continued. "I need to knoooow everything that whelp isssss doing. Alsssooo I need you to be dissssscreeet."

"Of course, sire." Kabuto bowed in deference before striding back towards the door. "I'll get back on his trail."

Oorochimaru sighed and ran a wearied hand down his face. That boy was a bit too overeager to watch Sasuke. This could certainly spell trouble. He grinned, unrepentant in the dark. But it was fun, Also.

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><p><strong>[AN] Did you like it? REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**[A/N] Here it is! Are you excited? I am! Sadly this is just shy of my 10K requirement mark, but I don't add crap or fluff so it just is what it is. I had some fun writing different parts of this so I hope you guys enjoy!**

**REVISED VERSION- Thanks for the grammatical error tips. In my defense I have terrible vision and often write at ass-crack of dawn, so if you see anything. Tell me and I'll get right on it. Thanks!**

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><p><strong>Subduing a Fox<strong>

**Chapter Four**

Gaara sighed with exhaustion. Though he had grown up in a Kage household and had seen his father work, he had no idea being a political figure could be so, exhausting. Probably because his father had been the worst example. He looked to his left where Naruto was humming softly as he packed both of their stuff for the trip from Iwagakure back to Konohagakure. Although Tsunade had offered a hired hand to assist them, Naruto had insisted that he didn't need a 'maid'. He was still buzzing pleasantly from their successful closing with the Tsuchikage; Gaara could tell by the huge grin as he skipped around the room packing. The redhead sat idly and watched, going over in his head how the whole thing had played out.

Naruto had introduced him as an intended Kazekage and very close friend of his. With just a bit of stress on their relationship, Gaara could see the change that came with being attached to Naruto. He was able to be present during the conferences, dinners, galas, golf matches, and meetings that had bombarded them throughout the three day stay. Everyday the two would conference call with Ino for their schedule, and then endure the lobbying and backhanded approaches that as Intendeds, they knew they would have to ignore. Gaara actually had fun, and learned so much on how to deal with so many different types of people, just by watching the blonde. He one day wished he would be able to juggle keeping his integrity without offending people, as Naruto had done with ease.

"You look tired." Naruto finally turned to him with a small smile.

It was fairly early in the morning. "Slightly." One glance at the clock told him that their plan was due to leave in an hour, not that the private jet would leave without them. "Perhaps you should have accepted the help, our plane leaves soon."

"Naaah," Naruto shrugged with ease. "We'll make it."

The subsequent half hour was a blur of blonde and a short trip to the airstrip. Surprisingly there was a tall man, long yellow hair pulled up with bangs covering his left eye and face, waiting for them next to the small stairs leading up into the jet.

He spoke with an easy smile and a strong Iwa accent. "Uzumaki-sama, my apologies for surprising you but my name is Hibaku Deidara, I was given to you by the Tsuchikage as a gift and offering of goodwill. I look forward to working with you." A polite bow was accompanied with slightly mischievous smile and a resolute stance that left no room for negotiations. Still, Naruto was quite confused and wary.

"A gift, you say?" When all he received was a nod he continued. "And your primary function?"

" I am knowledgeable in several languages as well as the intricate history of every great country, their provinces, and current rulers. However," there was a pause as that mischievous smile came back, "I specialize as a ... Bodyguard of sorts."

"A bodyguard?" Now why would the Tsuchikage give him a bodyguard? "Well, I would hate to seem rude but, I don't need, nor can I facilitate a bodyguard." Naruto nodded in a resolute yet contrite manner, hoping this was the end of things.

"That is unfortunate." Deidara said in a sullenly thoughtful manner as the three watched the flight staff load the luggage. "But I have given my oath to follow you. I am obsolete here, one of many, and so this is the only task I have ever gotten to prove my usefulness. If you cast me away, I will have nothing." this was all said with such a straight face it took Naruto some time to grasp the meaning.

"You-you will have nothing?" instant guilt welt up in him. He didn't want to be the reason why this guy was seen as useless or worse- cast aside! It was Naruto's solid conviction that everyone deserved a chance to show their strengths.

"Yes. The Tsuchikage no longer considers me under his employment. If you refuse me, I will essentially be unemployed."

Naruto was left dumbfounded by this revelation. Gaara narrowed his sea-foam colored eyes at the other. "We had no idea that you would be thrust upon us just before leaving this country." he stated evenly.

"This is true. I will understand if you are unwilling to accept me, as this was all very impromptu of the Tsuchikage." Deidara stood still as the shorter men scrutinized him. Gaara was good and confused as to what good politics would dictate be done now, so he waited for Naruto.

Naruto sighed. "Officially I cannot hire you without the Hokage screening you first."

A smile appeared on the half hidden face. "But you will consider it?"

"Yes," It was said slowly with a cautiously probing look. "I will talk to Ba-ah, I mean Tsunade-sama when we return. If she declines, there is nothing I can do for you."

Deidara smiled and bowed politely once again with an agreeing nod. He waited while the other two boarded the plane before he climbed the small stairs behind them. He watched closely, best to learn their mannerisms now.

* * *

><p>"Are you fucking joking?" Jiraiya spit out scathingly.<p>

"Of course not." Sai quipped in an impersonally detached manner while Tsunade fumed silently. "This is an official edict. Besides I have trouble 'fucking joking'. Naruto Uzumaki has just been elevated to a danger level 5, his btu output level was quite high, especially near the very end of his gala. Therefore the council has deemed it necessary that he begin taking INDO, that is if he still wishes to become Hokage anytime soon. Or so head councilman, Danzo-sama asked me to repeat."

"This is-ridiculous." Jiraiya stated with quiet devastation.

"Snakes, all of them." Tsunade seconded in a whisper.

Sai was quiet, trying very hard to understand the problem, but he could recognize that this was emotionally based. He wasn't very good dealing with things he didn't have. He was a black operative, and all he could see was this was a solution that didn't involve one ghost order on the head of Uzumaki Naruto. Was this not something to be happy about? When he could see no other problem, he just decided to ask. "If I may, just what is wrong with this edict?"

Tsunade looked up from her hands where she had firmly planted her face. With a sigh she spoke, "INDO stands for Inter-Negative Doctrine; an antidote developed by the late fourth Hokage and his wife. It takes the mutated cells centered around the brain and trains them into a reverse cycle. It is all very complicated. The problem is it is not completely discriminatory, out of every 300 mutation cells it negates it also latches on to approximately 17 perfectly healthy brain cells very much needed to function normally."

"In other words," Jiraiya spat, "it will make Naruto little more than an obliviously, vegetative puppet. Just how Danzo like them."

"To think he would go this far though…" Neither seemed concerned that Sai was hearing this, but then he supposed they shouldn't. He wasn't given orders to return with every word said in response so he would not repeat any of this. Until he was ordered. It was regrettable, but as it was, he did not answer to the Hokage.

Jiraiya sighed heavily. "There has to be something we can do…I can fix this without that damn debilitating drug. I know I can. I just need time." He looked pleadingly.

Tsunade was slowly shaking her head. "It's near impossible to reverse or even appeal an edict from the counsel. Especially when the vote is so…overwhelming."

"I just need a little time, just a little. I'll sit down with the brat, run some blood tests, and find a supplement that will help suppress at least his btu ouputs. I already have something in the works, it just needs perfecting. I just need time."

There was a terse silence while Tsunade rearranged things in her head. "How much time?" She finally asked.

"Two weeks tops."

She nodded. "Alright. I'll see what I can do. Sai," She turned to the pale and emotionless visage standing there, always ready for an order. "I am hereby revoking your title on grounds of insubordination; you are no longer a black operative. As Hokage I do have this right when I feel you may endanger the citizens of Konoha, Jiraiya, as a respected and senior member of this government shall witness your dismissal. Do you understand?"

Sai was wondering if the feeling coursing through him was shock? He felt like all his bones and tendons had just locked in awkward positions and his tongue was heavy with the need to question this rash decision. What had he done wrong? Insubordination? When had he talked out of turn…oh. The question? When he asked the problem of the counsel's edict on Naruto? He knew emotions like curiosity would be fruitless and even dangerous but to go this far? He nodded in a subdued fashion. "I understand."

Tsunade nodded sagely. "Good, turn in your resignation papers to Danzo. Now you work for me."

* * *

><p>Honestly tailing the great and mighty head Uchiha assassin should have much more difficult than this. Kabuto sighed in a bored deject manner while he tapped the goggles he was wearing that zoomed over forty meters. He stuffed more chips in his mouth and watched Sasuke take notes in his business class, seeming eager and totally unaffected by the world. How could that be? Didn't he know that life as he knew it, was a lie? That his very brick foundations were nothing but false whispers of ghost-like, transparent toothpicks? Kabuto couldn't reconcile the difference. Sasuke should know. He should cower behind the power of Oorochimaru-sama and in front of the helplessness of that brother, whom he places so much misguided faith in. Itachi could no more keep poor little Sasuke safe now than he could then. The only difference was that <em>now<em> Itachi didn't know it. Kabuto had been there, younger, but there on that perfectly sunny day where the little Uchiha had been over five stories below ground trapped in a cage, bleeding over a pit of ravenous and venomous snakes. The incessant hissing had been enough to drive the, then six year old mad with grief and hysteria for the total twenty-six days he had been there. Twenty-six whole days of experimentation, hours upon hours of Oorochimaru-sama's overwhelming affection, snake hissing and bowls of gruel that he had slowly stopped eating. Every now and then his cage had lowered into the snake pit until Oorochimaru-sama had been satisfied with his screaming begs to stop and pull him back up to safety. In the pitch blackness the little one hadn't been able to see how far up he was from the snakes and the hissing had just echoed and echoed.

Then big brother had swooped in and saved the day…by making a bargain.

Little Uchiha Sasuke for….well, everything.

And the brat didn't even know. Kabuto just could not sit still with this fact. How could he have just FORGOTTEN? People don't just forget things like that…or well…they shouldn't! And so he decided he would remind him, remind little Sasuke of his origins. He was far too high on his own self-assuredness that he was a being so powerful that he was in control of his own life. And he had brought something along, just for this occasion. He waited hours for Sasuke to be done with classes and find his gift, the anticipation give him a harder erection than he had had for weeks, months. He decided that if Sasuke's reaction was delightful enough, perhaps he could stroke himself to completion over that alone.

* * *

><p>His days were passing slowly now that he had time to attend to <em>regular<em> life. The strict command that he appear completely normal and benign, just in case of prying eyes, had come from his brother. Sasuke completely agreed, what with the impending interview/interrogation happening tomorrow. He was restless and more than a bit nervous. He wondered if Naruto would be there. If this had anything to do with Naruto…It wouldn't be too farfetched if the future Hokage had decided to turn him in, and he would have to live with having disappointed his Aniki…again.

Classes were finally over. Sasuke had only one more semester before he graduated with his Masters in business administration and could legally start taking over aspects of the company. He was contemplating another degree, one in politics, but Itachi always warned him that it was dirty business, politics. Though, how it was dirtier than what his Aniki waded through, Sasuke wasn't certain. He made it back to his car as the sun was just setting. He had his seatbelt secured and the engine on before he even sensed that something was wrong.

In hindsight it happened painfully slowly for reflexes like his. There was this slithering sound, like…soft metal against itself. And then a hissing that made every hair available on the Uchiha stand in resolute despair. Why was his body acting like this? A part of him, small and inconsequential in the scheme of things, was outraged by such a reaction from his traitorous body. _Something_ was slithering over his right shoulder and slowly, so slowly wrapping around his neck so that he was secure to his head rest. How many times the beast was wrapped around, Sasuke was too petrified acknowledge. The parking deck was normal, fluorescent parking deck colors but for some reason it was so dark. Black! Nothing, he could see nothing, like his eyes were failing in his head. He couldn't breathe. The obstruction wasn't around his neck, but in his chest. A heaving motion, not unlike sobbing and more towards chocking was happening. Hyperventilating. He was hyperventilating like a woman. His hands were gripping the bottom of his seat with such ferocity he felt his joints pleading for reprieve.

With jerking motions he crawled his right hand towards the center console where he shift gears and pressed a blue ringed button.

"Activated." Sounded throughout the car.

"It-Itachi. Itachi" He strangled out, and his car took a few seconds to comprehend the whispered request.

"Calling Itachi, mobile, one moment please."

The ringing seemed like forever, like time was standing still just to gloat at the hubris-filled little Uchiha. And with the beast, on his neck, hissing, constantly moving; Sasuke belatedly thought he was dying. There was no other word for this terror. In reality it rang once.

"Otouto."

"Itachi." Sasuke whispered, not able to get enough air to make a louder sound. "Aniki, please." He tried again, this time the sound coming from the back of his throat.

"Sasuke." There was alarm in the voice now. "Sasuke, what is going on, where are you?"

"S-s-s-snake." It was pathetic, the amount of difficulty he was having.

"I'm coming. Where are you? No, there is no need, you are in your car. Stay on the phone with me." Sasuke would have nodded, except he felt he could barely blink let alone a more difficult notion. He heard his brothers hurried footsteps, the opening of the car, the announcement of Itachi's automated system pulling up directions to his own car, the sound of the engine and then the sound of Itachi breaking several traffic laws to drive a half hours distance in less than ten minutes.

But those ten minutes were longer minutes that Sasuke had ever dealt with in his life. He wondered if this was penance for all the lives he took, though he was always one for a fast kill. He couldn't stomach torture as much he liked to think he could. That was Itachi's strong point. Then Itachi was outside his car looking at him with eyes that could have singed the metal separating them. He pulled at the door and they both discovered it was locked. But the button to unlock it was….much farther than the automated system button that Sasuke just realized he had not moved from. He would have to …lift…his left arm, moving his shoulder, jarring the beast resting on it. At some point it had quieted down to soft whispers of death along the rim of his ear.

"Sasuke." It was his brother staring at him, giving him strength. If he could just get to him, he knew Itachi would save him. From everything. Why did he ever think it was his brother than needed the protecting? He was only as strong as his most dire weakness. Sasuke began the slow trek of lifting his arm slamming his eyelids closed when it did exactly as he had predicted. The snake tightened around his neck and shoulders causing what little breath he had been getting to stop wherever it may have been. He slid his fingers up the door hitting the first button he got his fingers on. It was the window, for the back seat. He slid further up, his own window, which might have helped but he knew Itachi needed the entire door open. So he gathered his courage and slid his finger just a bit further and unlocked his door.

For a moment nothing happened and he opened his eyes. Then his brother acted so quick- that if his eyes weren't trained to follow such speed, he would have missed it. The door opened, almost like it was on its own and two hands reached for him at an incredible pace. One clamped over the mouth of the considerable sized snake, the other lodged a large blade in the body and quickly unwound it before it could perform a death squeeze on it's victim.

While Sasuke came back to himself from his rather embarrassing episode, he learned two important things. One, Itachi was incredibly comfortable with the slithering beasts, staring at it with his blood limit activated. And then when his brother spared no second look and pulled out the blade just to detach the head from the body and secure the head in a plastic bag, he learned that Itachi was much more frightening than he had always thought. He was given a cursory glance before his brother walked around the car and opened the passenger side door, sliding Sasuke's unresponsive body into the seat. He only then noticed he was full body shaking. His Aniki walked back around and proceeded to drive them both back to the mansion, this time obeying all traffic laws. "I'll send someone to pick up my car." He voiced the unspoken question.

Sasuke nodded and allowed himself to slip into the black out he had had too much courage to allow before.

He missed the absolutely enraged expression on his brother's face.

Or the pleasured sigh as Kabuto found orgasm to the memory of his terrified face.

* * *

><p>Hinata hummed as she chewed on the back of an expensive black pen. "So, is it better if I replace the genetic code in one model or change the sample mediums all together? They should equal about the same thing, right?" She looked across to her companion, appreciation written on her naturally pale visage. She was so lucky Sakura had taken time out of her schedule to help her with her thesis. They had been bouncing ideas back and forth for about two hours now. Settled in one of the outside tables of a little, but well known, café they had direct view of the City Hall skyscraper just across the five-lane intersection.<p>

Sakura thought as she swiped through a PDA that held multitudes of figures and text. "Perhaps, or you could change the culture for the same set of genetic code examples. Oh! Or try just altering the temperature in the set culture, perhaps it will give you the expected results."

Hinata perked up. Change the temperature, of course! Why hadn't she thought of that? With a light blush she looked to Sakura, "Thank you so much, Sakura. You really are a life saver. I've been having such a hard time with this and Neji-niisan can't really help me…." The girl blushed a bit more, her naturally soft spoken words trailing off a bit more.

Sakura gave a sparkling laugh and flip of her daintily styled hair. "Don't worry about it love, I love to help!"

As they continued on in a companionable exchange, a dark limo pulled up just outside the City Hall and Hinata looked up, her heart skipping a beat, as soon as her peripherals caught blazing blonde hair. He looked amazing for no reason whatsoever. Still clad in the thick gi with one arm exposed, native to the Hidden Rock, he stood out amongst the bustle of busy Konohagakurans. She watched, enraptured, as he, the Kazekage and another unknown, but very tall, blonde exited the car and filed into the building. She hadn't even realized just how many love sick sighs she had breathed as her eyes followed each and every movement of Naruto's.

But Sakura noticed, and for some irrational reason, she was…upset. But it was common knowledge! Her mind was screaming inside its pink fashioned head. It was common knowledge to anyone inside the secretly dubbed 'Naruto circle' that Hyuuga Hinata was enamored, infatuated, _in love with_ one Uzumaki Naruto. And yet, the rosette had an urge to dip her perfectly manicured nails into the opalescent eyes that were near long-distance-raping the future Hokage's figure.

What a gross way to be in love. She found herself thinking as she pointedly scraped her PDA with more force than necessary. Her air-brained companion had yet to tear her gaze from the imposing double doors of City hall. Probably chanting something to make him reappear; Sakura decided she was not bitter. She wasn't in love per say, but she could admit to her infatuation, and she refused to exist in such a pitiful state as the Hyuuga heiress. What was she doing with her infatuation? Why, fucking him silly every week on the proper. Too bad she couldn't say the same for poor Hinata. And with that a lazy sneer appeared on her aptly glossed lips.

When the silence bordered on disgusting, Sakura decided to be magnanimous. "Was that Naruto? It looked like him but I can never tell until he changes back into normal clothes." Her voice lilted with false pleasantness. Not that Hinata could see too far through her blonde-induced fog.

She blushed on time and nodded as well. "Yes, he is quite dashing in…everything." She sighed out, her eyes not having left City Hall quite yet.

Emerald green eyes narrowed. "Dashing, yes. The Kazekage is quite handsome as well, with that aristocratic face. Doesn't he just remind you of a doll?"

"Mmm, a doll? Yes, with eyes like the sky and hair like sunshine." Hinata was smiling in a dopey but proud sway of her ABC poetry hailing Naruto when Sakura had clearly been talking about SABAKU.

"No….his hair tends to remind me of blood. Though, he is a bit on the short sid-"

"He's the perfect height!" Hinata had snapped her head forward in such a quick manner, her hair had taken its time catching up and fluttering around her. Sakura stared a bit stunned that such an abrasive interjection had come from the mild mannered girl. She was acting as if he was defending Naruto's honor! Sakura grit her teeth and let the awkward air settle around them.

Hinata felt her face heating up to degrees that bordered on dangerous. Had she really just yelled at Sakura? About Naruto's height no less? Oh how embarrassing, humiliating! And it looked as if Sakura was upset! If only Neji-niisan had not been poking at her saying the same thing just a while ago! She decided she had to do something to clear the air. A peace offering of sorts. But about what? Her voice felt like it was caught in her throat and Sakura was pointedly ignoring her now. This was horrible. What did Sakura even like….Oh!

"S-Sakura-chan? Have you heard about the promo party Niisan is hosting? It's supposed to be super exclusive but I could g-get you an invitation." It was a near whisper, but Sakura had given her undivided attention just a few syllables after promo.

A very wide and classic smile fell over Sakura's lips and she marveled at why anyone would ever let this little Hyuuga out of the house. "That sounds fantastic Hinata! Who's going? What should I wear? You know what! Lets discuss this over dinner and you can tell me all about it. How does that sound? I'll even look over your thesis."

Hinata nodded with enthusiasm. "I would love that Sakura-chan." And it seemed all was right with the world.

* * *

><p>Ino was perusing through gift baskets, it was about time to start sending thank you offerings to those who had donated to her lovable blonde's many causes. There was a rap at her apartment door and when she got up to answer it she was pleasantly surprised to see her on-again-off-again boyfriend. "Shika-" she was just barely able to get out before she was snatched into a strong hold with lips attacking her neck and hands squeezing the curve from her waist to her hips. The front door was kicked closed and she was pushed up against the opposite wall and thoroughly ravished until she was able to negotiate some space and a bit of a reprieve. "Shika," came a high whisper. "What's wrong? You hardly ever just show up here like…this."<p>

The ante chamber was dark but there was a weary sigh that moved towards her bedroom. "Everything at this point. Jeez, I come here to forget about it all and I can't even do that. Troublesome woman, what a drag." He muttered all the way to Ino's bedroom where he promptly slung off his shirt, kicked off his shoes, and dropped his pants so that he was in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. He fell back onto her bed with a huff, sigh and stretched before settling bonelessly and looking back at her. "Shit is going down Ino." He rubbed both hands over his face in a decidedly defeated fashion. "I-we don't even think we can stop it. The council, they're trying to screw over Naruto, especially that creepy fuck Danzo. Probably have the Daimyo right in their goddamn hands. I'd hate to be whatever little boy they used to pay him off."

"Shit." Ino hissed out. She sat down next to her man, rubbing her hands across his chest and stomach in lazy manner, just like she would stroke a fat cat. It was something he secretly loved but never admitted. Still, this was terrible, horrible news. "How are they going about it now?"

"They've just sanctioned the INDO program for Naruto. You know that shit I was telling you about? It'll take six months, tops, before he's like a….like a….shell, or something. He'll be able to function but, not without serious help. Shit, Ino, they're really trying to fuck everything he's ever worked for up. And the really shitty part is they have solid evidence, I mean, rock solid. It's taking everything I have to think of a way to even prolong this."

Ino closed her eyes in an overwhelming mixture of anger and grief. If they did end up without any other way outside of INDO, it would just be better for Naruto to give up the Hokage seat altogether. But he wouldn't, because he swore to Konoha that he would do everything in his power to change the metropolis for good and he wouldn't turn his back on a promise like that. It was her job to not only build and maintain the brand that was Uzumaki Naruto, but to advise him on certain actions that shifted his public view in one direction or the other. At some point, she must have failed. For them to have solid evidence that Naruto was regressing…it would be near impossible to fix that. Near impossible, but not impossible. She wasn't hailed as the best fucking PR to have ever lived for no reason. If she could take the once cursed and spat upon child, the monster Kyuubi jinchuriki child, from the dregs of Konohagakure nothingness and make him Uzumaki-fucking-Naruto the most badass and lovable future Hokage Konoha has ever seen….then surely she could change the minds of some senile and pompous old bats.

"We need to expose this."

There was silence, and then "What?" Shikamaru opened both eyes and gazed upon the blonde woman staring up at her ceiling. Her pale blue eyes were narrowed and he could have sworn her could see all those synapses firing off in that brilliant mind of hers. There was a reason he was so attracted to her it bordered on violent. Their turbulent relationship was nothing more than a serious clash of IQs and sex so good in made him drool in the daytime. Still even from his brilliant girlfriend this was a little, brash. People have gotten ghost orders for less. Much less. "Ino, shit like this is beyond classified. It's like, nonexistent." The fact that an average civilian like her knew what INDO was, was enough to have one such as Sai showing up just to escort her off to the pearly gates. It was another reason he kept his distance from her, he never wanted her to be on radar.

"Not the INDO specifically Shika, I'm not stupid, just the fact that there are…lets say forces… that want to take advantage of Naruto. It can be as ambiguous as you want it, but it should snowball and get larger and larger and more and more important until it's like silent paranoia. I know a few news anchors that owe me favors. We can twist it and I'm sure the Blondie can get statements of support from a few other Kage's like the Kazekage and Mizukage. If you can buy time, we can make it so that the threat seems domestic and people will want to know what he's doing all day, every moment. Especially with him showing the Intended Kazekage around. Anything fishy, will show up without you or I having to lift a pinky. Well, maybe we can drop a tip or two to some paparazzi."

"Whoa, this was all sounding great unit that last little bit. Are you crazy woman? Do you know what would happing if that tip got traced back to one of us?"

"I know, I know. That's why it won't get traced back to us. You got me? Now, just buy me some time. I'll get the first part under control. And let Tsunade know too." Ino snuggled against his shoulder, her long blonde hair falling over her and onto his chest.

He played with it, feeling the stress leave every muscle in his over-wound body. Something had told him to come here, to confide in her. She always had a different way of thinking through things than he did. It was so damn…sexy. "Yeah," He husked out, slowly turning and leaning over her just to wrap some of that pale blonde hair around his fist and pull. He buried his face in her neck. "I'll buy you some time. Got Jiraiya already working on it."

He shifted between the legs already opening for him and into the heat that gripped him mind, body and soul. He rolled his hips and was always surprised by how quickly she got him harder than he could ever get himself. Her breasts moved freely against his chest, her flimsy and laughably thin nightgown doing a lot of nothing. "Shika." She breathed out nails already digging into his back and dragging down under his boxers to claw at his ass. With a squeeze she pulled him harder into her. "Stop playing around and fuck me."

God, this woman was wild personified.

* * *

><p>Itachi Uchiha liked to think of himself as a man with plentiful patience and amazing self-control. But it was failing him at this point. It was close to eight o'clock in the morning and they were being driven to City Hall. Because of his high tolerance to sedatives, it took extraordinary means, something like a horse tranquilizer, to knock out Sasuke. Itachi had fed them to Sasuke before he could wake from his own unconsciousness, just to assure he didn't have any horrible nightmares as he was sure to have had, sleeping on his own. He needed his Otouto fresh and wit-filled to tackle whatever the hell the problem was that they were about to encounter. Sasuke sat across from him in the short limo nursing a cup of very strong, very black coffee, while Itachi sipped on his own latte. They both had a sweet tooth, but Sasuke needed the caffeine like…yesterday. He was already beginning to look chipper, no outward appearance of the trauma had manifested in bags under the eyes or sickly pallor. He was a little rosy cheeked from embarrassment, Itachi knew, but it just helped him look healthy in the big brother's eyes. He couldn't stand the pale, frightened and utterly lost Sasuke that he had witnessed last evening.<p>

It was enough to break the back of his patience and self-control. He hadn't killed a man in a very long time and right now, he felt any man would do.

It was a bit chilly on this early November day, and darker than it should be for eight o'clock in the morning. An ill omen, Itachi was sure. It seemed to be magnified as there were soft rolls of thunder as they pulled up outside the buildings and four individual guards were stationed to escort them to the interview room. The word 'interview' was used lightly. It was disconcerting. The brothers exchanged a glance and Sasuke made sure to walk so close to his brother than their shoulders touched. Perhaps they looked to be mourning, Itachi thought. What with his brother in a charcoal grey turtle neck and black slacks, while he wore a black turtle neck under a black suit.

It wouldn't be their first time in City Hall, but certainly their first being escorted into an elevator and told to face the back wall. Sasuke was so tense, Itachi feared if he so much as flicked him, the boy would crack into pieces. Now while Itachi had expected to go down, he didn't expect to be going down for so long. Just how extensive were the subterranean levels of City Hall? When they stepped out in the corridor it seemed to be a replica of every scary movie there ever was. The halls was eerie, maze like, a bluish white fluorescent color, and pin-drop silent. They were led through many twists and turns until they hit a long stretch with wide black windows down the hall. There was one room, with a soft orange glow and an open door, but all other rooms were unoccupied. Or so they looked.

As they entered, the first thing Itachi noticed was the Hokage sitting regally in a comfortable but intimidating black chair. She had on a traditional kimono that, even with several layers, she managed to show ample cleavage. She was breezing through a PDA and took her time noticing the newcomers. When she looked up her hazel eyes were strong and potent. Fitting for a Hokage and woman who looked a mere fraction of her real age.

"Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke, thank you for coming. Please sit." She indicated to a long black couch sitting just before her chair. There were two long black windows that Itachi recognized as one-way glass. So they were being observed from the seemingly empty rooms….perhaps. Both brothers bowed respectfully and took their seats. Itachi setting his latte on the coffee table between them and Sasuke still nursing his. Tsunade waved her hands to the remaining guards and they left closing the door. There were two other fellows who did not leave. Tsunade pointed to the one in the corner on a stool with a PDA and stylus in hand. "That is Nara Shikamaru, my head intelligence agent, he will witness everything you say. And that," She pointed to a fellow in a black ANBU suit with wild silver hair standing off to Itachi's left and bit behind them, ready to disable and attack if necessary. "is Hatake Kakashi, my personal bodyguard."

When there was a terse silence she continued. "You are here under suspicion of murder and endangering international peace."

Itachi was shocked, though not as much as he should be. Perhaps one of their assassination missions has finally caught up to them? Though he didn't see how, Sasuke was an excellent ninja. Sasuke in particular seemed a bit more shocked, though neither of them made so much as a peep. The younger sat close to his brother, his arm thrown across the back of the couch and his body angled slightly to the left for two reasons. One, was to see Hatake Kakashi more clearly, should he decide to move, and two was to see Itachi more clearly, should any subtle signs be given. His knee was just barely touching the side of Itachi's thigh; a wide expanse of empty couch left completely unused. If their proximity aroused any questions, they weren't showing it.

Once the silence had prolonged enough, Tsunade let out a sigh, as if she had known speaking with them would be difficult. "You don't seem concerned." She stated.

Sasuke spoke while Itachi blinked slowly. "We are merely confused."

She nodded slowly. "Very well, where were you the entire last week of October?" Of course she was addressing the both of them, but felt no need to make distinctions.

"That was the week of the Kazekage's assassination." Itachi said slowly. He certainly hoped that was not where this was going. Neither one of them had stepped foot into Suna during that entire month.

"Yes, it is. Please answer the question."

Itachi narrowed his eyes in thought. Where were they? Sasuke had an outside mission of sabotage in Kumogakure as well as one to steal some competition information here in Konohagakure. He, had spent the entire week in his office, planning more missions and running one of the wealthiest conglomerates in history. However, there were no records of Sasuke leaving the country or returning, as far as he knew….With a flickered glance towards his brother Sasuke spoke. "Working, here in Konoha, and attending class." He offered no distinctions either.

Tsunade spent another few moments observing them before reaching over and touching a small black box Itachi would have sworn was for decorative purposes only. She reached in and pulled out a small, clear bag made with thick plastic with a white label on the top. She slid it over the coffee table towards them. Sasuke picked it up and froze so completely that Itachi felt his heart flutter and closed his eyes to control his body. His self-control was certainly thinning.

Sasuke leaned between them offering the bag to Itachi and spoke so low even he had a hard time picking it up. "How could this be?" The elder decided to lean over and look before picking the bag up in absent disbelief. He looked at Sasuke and then the Hokage but he didn't need her to verify its validity. He could feel the quality through the bag. There is was an original Uchiha Shinde-Kitte, or death stamp. A primitive way of marking the dead with egotistical little flares that did nothing but praise yourself and promote hate; or so Itachi had always thought. But these hadn't been used in, hundreds of years. No one assassinated like this anymore! And certainly neither had they. But this was real; long incredibly thin but very strong metal with the Uchiwa fan painted delicately at the top. The grooved tip most likely still help whatever poison it had been soaked in. This had been well taken care of.

When Itachi closed his eyes in exasperation he handed the little bag back to Sasuke, signaling him to speak. "It is a known fact, perhaps not well known, but known throughout the clans, that the Uchiha clan has one set of five Shinde-Kitte, just as we know the Hyuuga clan has two sets, the Aburame clan has three sets, the Inuzuka clan has none and the Senju clan has nine sets." Sasuke paused looking resolutely into the Hokage's eyes as she was a Senju descendent herself. "Of this we can assure you, all five in our set are present and accounted for within our vault. This..." he looked again at the glorified dart. "is not of our own. Yes, it does seem to be an original of the Uchiha but not our own."

"It is not unreasonable to consider you have more Shinde-Kitte than you exhibit, just for occasions such as these."

"Please tell me why, Hokage-sama," Itachi's voice was dry and far more acerbic than usual. His patience was wearing thin. "I would allow this office to impede into my life by authorizing a poorly designed attack on the Kazekage using such an ostentatiously, archaic and barbaric method such as the Shinde-Kitte? Does that seem at all intelligent to you?"

Tsunade seemed taken aback for a few moments before regaining herself. "If it was your intention to cause international unr-"

"Would I intend to cause any unrest in a country I benefit from fiscally?" Itachi cut her off, no longer looking at her, but up at the ceiling as if asking some deity for guidance though his voice never rose. He still spoke in a quiet lulling manner that always suggested boredom.

"I am not positive what your goals are in this-"

"You know exactly what our goals are. The continuation and prosperity of first ourselves, then our clan and then our country. So it has been for hundreds of years, and so shall it continue. It is the Uchiha way." There was another strained silence where Sasuke casted furtive glances toward his brother. Obviously Itachi was aggravated, which was hard to find on its own, but also…Sasuke had never seen his brother so outwardly, rude! This man was one whom could be surrounded by the most disdainful group of people and still maintain strict polite etiquette with a benign smile. However, that seemed to have all but gone out of the window today.

Tsunade watched both brothers, Sasuke watched his brother, and Itachi continued to silently pray for just a _little_ more patience as the day wore on. Please.

"Nevertheless," Tsunade continued. "we can be sure of nothing, most of all your motives."

Sasuke spoke. "It is entirely possible that this needle came from a descendent of a victim from long ago. It seems much care had gone into preserving it."

"Yes, we also agree that is a strong possibility, especially if the goal was to tarnish the Uchiha name. This is where finding the perpetrator becomes exceedingly difficult."

Sasuke nodded slowly. "We have logs of all of our victims from hundreds of years ago. They were once sources of pride in our prowess as ninja, now however, not so much. They are very old and very heavy, but most of them are filled with complete profiles of the victims down to likenesses drawn and reasons for their assassinations given for the more important ones. We can offer these to you, but you must ensure their safety, they are extremely fragile at this point."

Tsunade looked to be thinking. "Yes, I suppose that would be the logical next step. Just how many logs are there?"

"Seventeen, and I suggest that two people carry one as they are large and would not survive a fall."

Tsunade sighed. "Very well then, with this I conclude this meeting. Also, may I strongly _suggest_," she stood and looked both Uchiha in the eye as she spoke. "to not leave the country without telling me first. As of right now you are just suspects, not convicted, if you try to flee the country that WILL change. Am I understood?"

Itachi was already standing and making for the door so Sasuke answered. "Of course, Hokage-sama." As he watched his brother leave; the man obviously upset, though whether it was from this conversation alone, Sasuke was left to wonder. As Itachi exited he immediately activated his Sharingan, allowing him to follow his own chakra signature throughout the maze of hallways to the elevator. Only problem there was his lack of identification to use the damnable contraption, so he stepped through the doorway marked 'stairs' and looked up through the spiral. It seemed that all doors were locked but he was almost positive such would not be the case on the ground floor. So with a huff at his soon to be undignified behavior he hopped on the railing and leapt four stories up, before repeating the process a few more times until he saw the door marked with a loud yellow G.

Itachi straightened his jacket and fixed his face into its customary look of indifference as the heels of his shoes clicked smartly across the lobby floor. He swore his driver was telepathic, as he was opening the car door just as Itachi was exiting. "Wait for my brother." Was his passing order as he sat himself comfortably to brood. So much was happening all at once. Not being able to leave Konoha? That was simply terrible. . He had everything in Konoha in control. Most of the urgent missions he sent Sasuke on were _outside_ Konoha; and now leaving was a problem. He supposed he could ask other members of the Uchiha black ops, but he trusted none of them to be infallible. And honestly, a mistake was all they needed for it to be proven that they _did_ conduct unsavory types of business and it _was_ entirely possible that they consorted to kill the Kazekage. Something that Itachi had honestly been surprised to hear about. If he had to prioritize anything of course it would be Sasuke's health and wellbeing. And of course Oorochimaru's sick and twisted idea of a practical joke, which still had him seething inside his own skin. Things were becoming…dare he say….

Overwhelming.

The door was suddenly opened and Sasuke sat himself down with a sigh. "That was quite unlike you Aniki, and I must say it certainly surprised our Hokage, having the head of the Uchiha clan stomp out in an upset tizzy."

Sharp onyx eyes pierced a younger pair before doing quite an uncharacteristic roll back towards the window. "I did not stomp."

"Well whatever, it may have worked in our favor." Sasuke was all smirk.

"How so?" Itachi questioned with a risen brow, he was now utterly ashamed of his lack of control. Though he would rather peel his own nails off than let his younger brother see it.

"The Hokage seemed quite surprised, said she heard you were a more level headed, stoic individual. I assured her that you were indeed upset at the fact that we are being very near framed for something so dire that we had no hand in. She was quiet a bit and then swore she would get to the bottom of it and no innocents would be charged guilty until she was positively sure. I thanked her and was escorted on my way."

The car was moving now, to some unknown location Sasuke must have picked, and Itachi was once again lamenting the sured death of his self-control. He kept his body positively rigid, and yet his index finger softly tapped the luxurious seat he was in, he was subtly chewing the inside of his lip and his leg felt the need to shift every thirty to forty seconds. "Aniki." There it was, Itachi sighed inwardly. His Otouto was far too observant to not catch the turmoil his elder and always calm brother was going through. "Aniki, what is troubling you?" When Itachi could not even perform an elementary diversionary tactic Sasuke continued. "Aniki, I've never seen you quite so upset. If it's about last night, I'm fine. I don't want you to worry or be upset." Just bringing up the incident caused such a rush of rage to flurry over his skin that Itachi had to close his eyes in concentration, sure his blood limit was spinning furiously. A terse silence took over. "It must be a lot, all the reorganizing I know you have to do to get things done without being able to leave Konoha. I can help you."

"Sasuke, I'm-" But the rest died in his mouth as he turned to look at his brother upon hearing the word uttered with sincere eyes.

"human, Aniki, you're human. And…" Sasuke turned back towards his window, but it wasn't enough to hide the blush that spread above his cheeks. "what am I here for if not to help you lighten the burden?"

Itachi looked away and felt his body relax into his seat. Yes, his little brother was here to help lighten his burden. A smirk came over pale lips.

And little Sasuke looked so cute confessing.

* * *

><p>"Well?" Tsunade asked back in the observance room where Naruto, Gaara, and the two Suna detectives sat in contemplating silence. "How do you feel, Kazekage-sama? I will take your opinion into consideration."<p>

Gaara's eyes shifted from Naruto to Tsunade with a hesitant blink. "I am unsure, seeing as how I have no knowledge of their personality types and could only see that they looked surprised at our accusation. I would like to believe that this does not involve them, but a different party. Only…that would make this much bigger than I had previously thought. Not only did someone kill my father, but it seems the primary motive had little to do with my father and more to do with destroying the Uchihas. In a way, it is a slap in the face of Suna. Our previous Kazekage seems just a bit more worthless than he previously was."

As it was all said in such a steady, mellow fashion, just above a whisper it was hard for Naruto to tell if Gaara was really upset. But he could see very clearly in the eyes of the detectives that they were beyond upset. What about? Naruto didn't know, but he could smell trouble a mile away, and they smelled like trouble. "Gaara, you know that we don't think that way. This is very important to us, not only because it pertains to you, but Suna is one of our greatest allies and it is important to them as well. We will get to the bottom of this, ne Tsunade-baachan?"

Whether or not she was getting the same vibes Naruto was, he wasn't sure. But he was happy that she answered, with a furtive glance towards the detectives, whose faces looked like they were planning mutiny, torture and world domination. "Yes of course! We won't rest until we clear this up, it is unacceptable as it is." Her voice was strong and convincing. At least to Naruto.

"Hmm, I see." Gaara nodded calmly. "Well, let us go. I leave the next course of action to you Hokage-sama, seeing as how they are Hidden Leaf citizens. Thank you for your time."

The ride back to the surface was silent and tense and as the detectives readied for departure they managed to get Gaara aside and with some very pleading gestures, were denied something Naruto had no knowledge of and made their way to a car waiting to take them to the airport. As Naruto was giving Gaara a ride back to his estate the blonde fidgeted. He himself had a few test tomorrow so he couldn't stay on this side of town or he would never study, but he felt Gaara needed some sort of comforting. "Don't worry Gaara, we'll find out what happened."

"Naruto," The dry voice began, as wide black rimmed eyes turned to face him fully in the car. "I do not care." He said and turned back to the window. "It does, however, look like soon the Uchihas and Konoha will begin to."

And while one half of his brain protested that it was his father! And of course he cared, for heavenssake! One look at Gaara solidified that no, he didn't care, at all.

* * *

><p>The phone ringing in Sakura's apartment was not a new or uncommon thing, but the number ringing it was. "Hello?" She asked in her sexyflirty/love me voice. Because honestly, every femme fatale seemed to own one, so it was by time she perfect hers.

"Haruno." Came the brusque reply. "I require to meet with you soon, be discreet, the Bulvaea Hotel will be fine. Cover up that pink head of yours. Eleven thirty on the dot, don't be late or else….please. Goodbye."

"Wait!" She yelled a bit upset that he felt he could just spit orders at her without even a bit of sexy talk for conversation. The uncouth prick. "You barely even greeted me, and I didn't get all of that. Let me get a pen."

The was a huff of exasperation before a voice grated. "I am not going to greet you outside of cordial business etiquette, Haruno. Don't mistake this for something it isn't."

"Grumble, grumble." Sakura began to mock, my she was so much braver over the phone. "All I hear is you trying to stifle my price-"

"Careful what you say over the phone, Haruno."

Sakura furrowed her pink brows. "Do you think me an amateur? My lines are secure, all of them, _Sasuke_."

It was almost like she had turned on the air conditioner, that's how cold the voice became. "I did not, nor will I, give you leave of my given name. You will not use it again. And your price was physical intimacy, anything else is just an extra farce that I need not deal with. I do not wish to punish myself with your voice any longer so if you did not hear the specifics I gave than that will be your fault but I expect the next shipment of information or I will come bodily retrieve it. Goodnight."

Sakura sighed at the dial tone. Some people just couldn't take a joke.

* * *

><p>Naruto was honestly surprised. Here he was at a restaurant with Gaara and the newly employed Hibaku Deidara. Apparently he'd checked out just earlier that day and only three days since arriving in Konoha, he was declared mentally and physically fit to serve as Naruto's bodyguard under the guise as a translatorlanguage tutor. While he was fluent in many different languages, Deidara often insisted his most native tongue was 'explosives'. Naruto didn't ask. It was the night after a day full of dreadful tests and the equally dreadful interview and Naruto was so looking forward to the seven different bowls of ramen he had coming to him, for he was only allowed to eat them a few times a year by Ino. Suddenly and awfully his phone started ringing. Gaara and Deidara both started at him expectantly as he searched his pockets for the annoying little device. It was the worst possible person he could imagine could want to speak to him right now. He contemplated not answering when it stopped ringing. And then began ringing again.

"Hello?" He tried to sound civil and indifferent but he could tell off the bat it was annoyed and jaded. This guy was such a jerk.

"Aaahhh Mr. Future-Hokage. How are you this lovely evening?"

"Actually, I'm at currently a restaurant. I'm about to have dinner, so if you don't mind, perhaps I can call you back later?" Diversion tactic number one, success pending.

"I do mind actually, as this topic is far more important than whatever dinner you may or may not be having."

Naruto blinked furiously. There were so many disrespectful, rude and wrong things in that one sentence alone, but all he could think was. "You think I'm lying about being in a restaurant?"

"I didn't say that." There was an infuriating smirk sounding off in his voice. Naruto actually grit his teeth and hissed, drawing the rapt attention of the two other occupants at the table. "I was simply including the option that you may not actually be at a restaurant. Not the same."

Naruto closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Whatever, what did you want?"

"To see you."

Naruto groaned aloud. The damn date again. "Look I'm really, really busy. I'm sorry if it doesn't seem fair, but I promise that s how it is, my schedule is a mess. You should talk to my PR, she'll-"

"I don't care." It was firm and very no nonsense, very different from how the voice was just a few moments ago. "I don't care about your schedule, I don't care about your PR or any other excuses you would care to think up and throw at me. I'll be picking you up and then we'll be going out."

For a moment Naruto was confused, alarmed and stupefied all at the same time. "What? Wait! When?" Why did he just go along with this?

"Soon. Goodnight Naruto."

Both Deidara and Gaara were very interested to know just who and what was going on over the phone to cause such an intense blush to overcome Naruto's innocent face so suddenly. But the blonde himself was having trouble staving off terrible bodily reactions that were rampaging just from the sinful way that man had spoken his name. As time moved on and the three men eventually got on to enjoying their dinner and then going their separate ways, Naruto found himself standing in his bedroom staring in the mirror with very wide blue eyes as he froze in unbuttoning his shirt. A very large and simple truth had just presented itself in his mind.

The fact that the Uchiha had not asked for an address meant that he obviously knew where Naruto lived.

Shit.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN] Sooo? What did you think? I need reviews to feed the little plot bunny beast inside my head! And they help motivate the hell out of me. I mean, why would anyone write something that isn't being read, ya know? So let me know whatever you think about it. **

**Ciao!**


	5. Chapter 5

**[A/N] Another one! So soon? Yes, because I received some very encouraging reviews and they definitely helped me. Grammar mistakes should be at an all-time low, but as always you see one, let me know. Anywho, ENJOY!**

**Edit: JeezusJimminyCricket! This had waaaay to many grammar errors. Thanks to my besty Troy, for basically beta'ing for me. Please readers, for the love of God, tell me about the horrible errors that my blind ass can't correct. Eventually I'll get around to fixing them!**

* * *

><p><strong>Subduing a Fox<strong>

**Chapter FIve**

Aaah, it was a good time, a good year, a good day, to be her. Sakura tipped back a flute of watered down champagne as she rubbed shoulders with a man that might be able to get her stock in a Kumogakure company that would be expanding in Konoha soon. That was a rumor of course, but an excellent one. The price was simple and something she could definitely provide, so after exchanging business cards, Sakura was floating on cloud nine.

Of course Sakura was always congratulating herself on a job well done by snaring the snarky Uchiha. It had been a happy month for her, by far, with every week bringing her one satisfying night with the surly man. She was beginning to crave it more, but sadly, he wouldn't budge. He was always speaking so formally and always wanted to maintain distance. At the reminder, a small frown appeared on her prettily made up face as she twirled around the Hyuuga manor with an air of put upon importance. The Uchiha had dictated that they act like perfect strangers at this party when she had mentioned she had procured an invitation. He had seemed surprised but didn't question it, instead he laid down laws like he was Moses himself. No talking to him. No touching him. And no interference with whatever he did. Yadda yadda.

Sakura wasn't a child and hated that he felt the need to talk to her like she had no clue what the word subtle meant. She had gotten this far, hadn't she? And that was WITHOUT him. He was so goddamn arrogant sometimes. But then again, that was something about him she loved so much that she literally licked it up every time he spilled it.

Sakura stopped suddenly, her train of thought derailed at the terrible chill running up her spine. She wasn't a creature of instinct per se, but she had excellent gut reactions and trusted them. Something Naruto had taught her. And her gut was telling her that there was someone…or _something_ watching her. She looked around casually and tried not to let it show on her face. This was a party, a very exclusive one, so everyone here was expressly sent an invitation. Not to mention the Hyuuga's were hard asses, so she doubted there were any foul rugrats or thugs here. You know, the type that prey on pretty young females that looked rich?

So Sakura distracted herself by finding Hinata, hoping the inept girl would help her pass the time better. And she did, fumbling around polite conversation while her brother stood next to her and tried to keep the girl afloat. Though it wasn't hard for him; he had a presence that was mostly charming and a little intimidating. Especially if he felt Hinata was becoming the butt of a joke. The girl lit up like a barn fire when Naruto arrived with the Kazekage and the same tall blonde from before that Sakura was surprised to find a very yummy figure with a strong Iwa accent. He barely spared her a glance during the greeting though and that was always sad.

Naruto, unfortunately, didn't have much time to spend chatting with her as he had to keep speaking with the Sabaku. A few times it looked like the redhead was leaving before Naruto had him back and an encouraging arm around his shoulder. Sakura sighed, his time was always so involved and his attention sought after, she damn near wanted to set an appointment. But then that feeling returned and it was so close that she jumped and looked behind her. There was nothing suspicious, just a few men walking to and fro, talking and drinking but….She could swear she had felt someone's breath against the back of her neck. This was getting freaky. She was never paranoid or jumpy like this. She looked back and wondered if maybe she should mention it to Neji or Naruto but then she saw him. Them.

Suave in black as they usually were. The eldest had on an all black suit with what looked like a V-neck sweater underneath, while the younger wore an all black suit with a bright red turtle neck underneath and an Uchiha pin on his lapel. As it was, they stopped right at Neji and Hinata to greet the hosts and Sasuke Uchiha acted like she didn't even exist.

It was a good day to be her, Sakura tried reasoning to herself again. But this was starting to suck.

* * *

><p>Deidara was excited and he wasn't really one to curb his own enthusiasm. Yay for finding a new charge as energetic and hyperactive as himself. His old charge, the Tsuchikage Onoki, was a somber, and often grumpily nostalgic old man that didn't like too much noise. Egh. Still this was one of his very first looks into Konoha at this schmooze party. That's what he called them, they were the same in every country. People schmooze with each other, negotiate, make back door deals the whole works. And it looked like Konoha was no different. It was certainly one of the more grand ones he had ever been to. And the hosts, the Hyuugas, he had never seen them up close before, but they just seemed to exhale money to whoever they graced their presence with.<p>

He felt bad for the heiress, she seemed a bit socially awkward and hung up on his charge. It only took a five minute peek into their stilted conversation to see. But apparently, Naruto was used to it.

Deidara had to keep himself from laughing every time Gaara, cause he was now on first name basis with him, tried to sneak away only for Naruto to reel him back in. He did fail at subduing a chuckle and was sent one of the nastiest Sabaku glares that he had ever witnessed. It left his hairs on end. And that wasn't the only thing. Deidara had good instincts, a good ear and an impeccable sense of timing. It was what made him a good assassin, though he was wary of telling his new charge that. Something told him Naruto wouldn't approve. But there was definitely something going on, something foul in the air. He just didn't know what it was. Nothing told him that Naruto was in danger, but someone, somewhere was. Still he was vigilant on his charge.

They boy moved around and covered a lot of ground, hopping from one conversation to the other, greeting people, denying offers, making jokes, offering to grab drinks, shaking hands, and keeping a firm arm around Gaara whenever the Hyuuga said or did something that pissed the Sabaku off.

When the Uchihas arrived things shifted in the room and also within himself. He discovered a few important facts. Pinkie knew the littler Uchiha, the littler Uchiha was ignoring her like a professional, the bigger Uchiha was worried and subtly trying to find something, the littler Uchiha was carnally interested in his charge, the littler Uchiha was an assassin and the bigger Uchiha was the most beautiful being he had ever laid eyes on. With things in the order of least important to most important, he was aware that his priorities were screwed up, because an Uchiha assassin sinking it's claws into his charge should rank highest on the scale. But it didn't.

How did he know Sasuke was an assassin? The same way one predator knows another predator. Deidara had seen him stalk in and assess every single person under the time it took to walk from the entrance to where the hosts stood. There was definitely a weapon of some sort in his left arm and probably his right foot because he kept his right arm way to accessible and swung it with a very practiced casual motion. But it was clear he trusted his brother's strength as he left his own back unprotected and allowed his attention to fully set on Naruto.

When Sasuke's eyes had locked with his own he felt a switch flicker and could tell that he was now, and would forever be, on the Uchiha's radar. That and he was curious of what an Iwagakure assassin was doing in Konohagakure's future Hokage's circle. Oh well, the little Uchiha could bite it for all Deidara cared. He just hoped he didn't open his mouth and mention his supposed occupation, for Deidara entertained the idea of denying it altogether, to his current charge. If anyone was going to tell Naruto, it should be him.

The bigger Uchiha though, was _very_ distracting. His head moved casually around, nose lifted slightly, almost like he was sniffing the air. Maybe he could also sense whatever foulness was afoot. But then, as if sensing the weight of Deidara's stare, he turned both sets of black orbs onto him. They were cool and detached…but something was simmering, Deidara could tell.

And he just had to get closer.

* * *

><p>Sabaku no Gaara was not used to having the wool pulled over his eyes. In fact, he prided his eyes on being able to pull the truth from just about anything, if he was interested enough to try. Therefore, when Naruto insisted he be free this evening to attend a promotional event, he hadn't thought twice because his blonde best friend had made it sound upstanding and legitimate. <em>This<em> was not a promotional party. It was the gathering of everything that made politics slimy, including the greasy haired, slick-mouthed, arrogant, two-faced, shit-smirking Hyuuga. And Gaara decided that the next time the bastard dared to touch him AND Naruto wasn't looking, he was going to use his sand to punch a hole through his larynx.

Such a foul mood had not seen Gaara in a _long_ time. Especially if the cause was not his father; but Hyuuga Neji was climbing the ranks to become the person on Earth that Gaara was able to stand the least. They hadn't shared much more than a greeting and an offer for something to drink, at which time the bastard had presumed himself to touch Gaara. Right now the host was busy, engaging in different conversations and most likely dealing out death and prolonging world hunger. Whatever. Gaara was stuck forcing himself to act in a better mood than he was in, never a strong point, and engaging in the conversation Naruto was stringing along. Schmoozing, as Deidara liked to say.

Gaara found the word appropriate. And as much as he would have liked to prolong the silence between Hyuuga and himself, the brunet host was soon by his side again. "Sabaku-san, how do you find the event? You aren't bored, I hope?"

Gaara rolled his large jade orbs with a slow blink. Staring into an opalescent, shifty gaze, he replied. "I would like it better if we didn't converse. At all."

It was odd how the cocky smirk just seemed to widen at that response. Gaara didn't understand. "Of course, Sabaku-san. But I would be a terrible host if I neglected one of my guests." There was truth to that.

Gaara snorted. "Yes, I see the kind of company you keep. Disgusting, if you ask me. I don't know why Naruto even ties his name with yours."

Neji raised a brow at such disparaging comments. "Our name is impeccable in society. As far as the company we keep, you must not confuse an open forum such as this, with our personal deportment."

Gaara made his way across the hall slowly, towards the large windows at the other end. He hoped that somehow, the Hyuuga would get lost. "Very well, then I shall use a guide a bit more close to home. You. I find you to be slimy." It was all said in a very even and quiet tone that Neji had to block all other noise to hear.

The older male would have sighed in resignation had he been a weaker man. "So I hear. Although I don't know why."

The red head stopped, having reached the window and also the limit of his patience. "You should. You're untrustworthy. In my book, that equals slime. I'm surprised Naruto hasn't sniffed it out. He has an impeccable nose for slime."

Neji straightened and felt his cheeks heat in embarrassment. He was completely misunderstanding him! "He trusts me because I AM trustworthy! I would not invest so much of myself and my clan into Naruto if I did not believe in his ideals or had ulterior motives. Why do you think he does not have many benefactors? He asks for too much for anyone to invest in him with ulterior motives! They would lose everything before they gained anything! No, you have to actually be ready to sink more than money into Naruto. No, you have to really believe he can-" But then Neji took in Gaara's risen brow, his narrowed eyes and lips pressed firmly together to tell him that he didn't believe a word he was saying. "This is beside the point." He finally relented.

"The point, is that I don't trust you. And I would rather we stopped speaking altogether. Whatever job you had set out to do, consider it done and be on your way."

"I didn't have a _job_." Neji stressed quietly, feeling more than just a bit frustrated. Why was this man so hard to deal with? " I threw this event just to speak with you."

Gaara, who had turned away in disgust, whipped his head back toward Neji to stare at him. "Lies." It was a soft spoken challenge, as most of Gaara's countenance was.

It was Neji that looked away this time, his face becoming perfectly blank. "It is no lie. I even asked for help, concerning how best to approach you." Neji wondered why the hell that had even just flown out of his mouth.

"Why?" Gaara had narrowed his vision. He didn't like whatever this bastard was scheming.

"I-" Neji felt his tongue thicken at the unfamiliar words trying desperately to come out in the correct order. He need NOT fuck up this chance. "I felt that we left on a sour note at the gala and really I…didn't actually want to upset you. Nor did I mean for what I said to imply that I really felt that way about Naruto."

Gaara's brows pulled together in confusion. He had walked around the taller male so that they were facing each other again. If his own eyes were not deceiving him, than the Hyuuga was actually being sincere. "Then why did you say those comments. About myself and Naruto's condition? You even implied something shifty between us. Why did you say those things so deliberately if not to upset me?"

Neji was feeling quite odd. Those eyes, large and unblinking, were focused so solely on him, he imagined he had no choice but to answer truthfully. He would probably give away clan secrets if Gaara kept staring like he was. He felt his own eyelids fluttering in an effort to compensate for Gaara's wide-eyed stance. He swallowed and forced himself not to back up. "I wanted you to react to me."

When Gaara tilted his head to the side in thought, Neji realized what he had said, blushed heavily and prayed that something urgent would come up that desperately needed his attention. "There were much better ways to go about getting a reaction from me. Now everything you do seems vastly untrustworthy to me." The Sabaku was direct, as always, though he looked in thought.

"I…agree." Neji said slowly, somehow feeling like every ounce of pride he owned was melting to the floor.

Gaara turned toward one of the large windows in the hall and snagged a flute of champagne. He hadn't drank any alcohol since that very wild night at the Inuzuka compound. He sipped it slowly and thought. "So then those atrocious words were your misguided attempt to flirt with me?" Gaara asked, thankfully not looking at his companion.

Neji figured now was a good time to die. "I…suppose." WHY WAS HE AGREEING? He literally looked around but as they were near the window on the outskirts of the large hall, no one seemed to be paying them any mind.

"Hmmm, quite inept." Was Gaara's further comment as he continued to observe the outside grounds.

Neji wished for someone to simply walk up and put him out of his misery. It was like he was a glutton for mortifying punishment, the way he just stood there and accepted the Sabaku's pungent criticizing. "Yes." Was his whispered agreement as he wondered if he had somehow been transported back to high school. No, not even during those years did he ever act so…stupid around a potential lover. And that was what he wanted. He wanted to be Sabaku no Gaara's lover. A very intimate one. But that would never happen if he continued to blumber around like an idiot. He needed to regain ground. "I will admit, the route I took was not the most advisable option-"

Gaara turned and unleashed, once more, the full power of his wide sea-foam colored eyes. "It was a mistake." He stated plainly.

And Neji remembered that Gaara liked things plainly stated. "It was." He conceded; and dear Kami-sama! Would he forever be rendered a dolt against that gaze? He bolstered himself. "Anyway, for now, will you at least accept my apology?"

As a long silence followed and Neji watched as Gaara seemed to be waging things internally, he realized that perhaps Gaara accepting his apology was a big deal. So when the Kazekage narrowed his gaze once more and turned away with a parting, "I suppose." He felt happy, unexplainably happy. And stupid. He felt stupid.

* * *

><p>Itachi was furious, disgusted, and worried altogether as soon as he stepped foot into the soiree. Why? Because he could smell it, sense it, Kami he could near feel it slithering across his skin. Snake. But not any type, a very specific kind of snake that expressly meant Oorochimaru. One of his minions was here. Why, was the operative question. Simply on Oorochimaru's behalf? That was not unheard of. Or to torment Sasuke and himself more? That also was not unheard of. Well, for himself, it wasn't unheard of. But now, whatever unspoken truce that Itachi and the snake had shared to leave Sasuke alone, was obviously null and void.<p>

He wanted to locate it. If he could, it would put his mind at ease a little. He may even be able to subtly obliterate whoever it was. But in a crowded hall such as this, it was impossible to find the fiend without using his Sharingan. And he couldn't use it because there was always, _always_ someone looking at him, greeting him, trying to speak to him or simply staring at him from across the room. He was observed at all times. And not just by others, but by Sasuke as well.

It was customary for them to remain near each other during these things. Not attached at the hip, but four or five paces away at best. These were antics that Itachi had shaken his head at his paranoid Otouto for. Now, he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious every time Sasuke left his sights. And that little blonde quarry of his kept him more distracted than usual. Of course Sasuke wouldn't sense anything, not the snake, not this kind of danger. Itachi had tried so hard, focused all his being into making sure that he never encountered them. That they never WERE on his radar.

The last thing he needed, the very last thing Itachi needed was for Sasuke to remember. It had taken him three days and nights of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to rid not only his mind, but his body and soul of the terrible passage of time he had spent in the clutches of Oorochimaru. He would be damned thrice over, before he let that hard work slip away. The process it took to destroy those parts of Sasuke had aged his sight by ten years at least, he couldn't afford to let that be for naught.

The difficult part of worrying about Sasuke, was not letting his Otouto know. If Itachi openly worried about anything, Sasuke took it is as a grave emergency and then took it upon himself to eliminate whatever it was. In a way it was infinitely endearing, the way it was such an automatic response. But not this. Sasuke couldn't discover this.

They had greeted the hosts some time ago, and Sasuke had immediately set about harassing the future Hokage while Itachi spoke a little with a few executives from peer and rival companies. Well, spoke as in nodded, 'hmmed' and sometimes have one syllable responses if necessary. He didn't fancy wasting the precious use of his voice on little-time vultures such as these. He was drifting back towards his brother, and consequently Naruto when he made eye contact with a very tall blonde yet again. The first time he had dimly logged the man in the back of his mind but continued attempting to find the snake somewhere in the room. Now, he had somewhat given up on finding it without his Sharingan and had focused sensing if it came anywhere near Sasuke or himself.

This man though, was definitely an assassin. That much was apparent as soon as he took the time to actually look at him. He wore a long robed tunic that hung open quite a bit to expose his chest. He had on leather arm guards that no doubt housed weapons, and what looked like thick, fitted leather pants tucked into sturdy boots. Definitely from Iwagakure. As he drew closer, he decided he would acknowledge this man. It was rare for him and it was certainly not because of the near lascivious look he was being given. Certainly not.

"Uchiha-sama." Itachi felt himself blink. His voice was thick, deep, and gravely. Just like the Hidden Rock even without his heavy accent. Oh, he had near missed the small nod of deference given to him. And although he seemed to be attentive to Itachi, the Uchiha watched as his eyes flew to Naruto like a hawk as the young man escorted a well-gussied lady to one of the tables laden with alcohol. And although the lady had her arm wrapped around Naruto's she was speaking to both the blonde and Sasuke as the brunet had ostentatiously taken his other arm. Deidara did not follow but did turn his body so that he was facing Naruto and let his eyes sweep across the room as if looking for something.

Itachi felt his stomach quiver. "You are his guard." He stated more than asked because at this point it wasn't a question.

"Yes." Ice blue eyes locking with his for just a moment. "You seem worried." That was a problem, Itachi decided. How this guy was able to tell, meant he wasn't being near as stealthy as he thought. "You're upset that I noticed." Deidara continued.

"You're assuming you are correct." Itachi rebuffed. Not as annoyed as he should have been.

Suddenly an entirely playful smirk took over his exotic features. "I'm correct." He tilted his head and roved his eyes up and down the Uchiha's lean figure. "But you don't want me to be. I can understand, no one likes to be pegged. Right?" He turned back to watching his charge. "But whatever it is has to do with this stench, right?"

The other, who was clenching his champagne flute to the point of near death stilled. "Stench? What do you smell?"

"Reptile." Was the immediate response. "And death. Though whose, I don't know. It damn sure won't be Naruto, not while I'm here."

This didn't bode well. He himself could never smell death but he knew of people who could. This made him more anxious, because it couldn't be Sasuke. He wouldn't let it. He couldn't. A rash decision formed. "Can you find it?" Those ice blue eyes shot to him, while he himself watched his Otouto whisper something vulgar enough to make Naruto blush about ten shades.

Deidara took in the tense stance, the pale visage, and the very, miniscule amount of desperation that had just barely colored the softly spoken inquisition. "I could. But not now, I have a charge."

"Later?" Dark eyes turned up slightly to him in skepticism. The elder Uchiha was tall, quite tall, but Deidara topped him by an inch or two.

"In a metropolis like Konoha it would be hard, very hard, but not impossible. And not free." He added, something occurring to him that had a small heat trickling down his spine.

"Money is no object, but I despise questions." All very softly spoken but Deidara got the gist. No snooping. Whatever.

"I don't need money. Hell, I don't even really like money." Deidara felt himself smirk although his eyes were still glued to Naruto's figure as he was once again prowling around the hall, most likely trying to shake off the younger Uchiha.

Itachi felt himself stiffen. Just when he thought he might have created another avenue! Dammit, why were things so complicated? He sighed silently and turned to fully face Deidara. "Then what is it you would request?"

Deidara opened his mouth to make his original request but something in the blank stare of Itachi's changed his mind. He smiled softly and slid behind the man to whisper softly, "A date. Simple." He stood next to him now, since Naruto had shifted and was directly in front of them.

Itachi unexpectedly colored. What? "What are you expecting to garner from a date?" He asked from between his teeth.

Deidara shrugged. "I'm interested in you. I was when you entered, I would have been content to simply look from afar but you opened up a door of opportunity. Please don't be mad at me, I'm just taking what's offered." The blonde smiled without guile and focused ahead once more. "I can however promise that a date is all I'm asking and this reptile problem will be over. That's fair, is it not?"

Itachi was trying to find fault in this logic, but he understood it was simply because he was being asked of something he didn't expect and he hated that. Honestly he had never really been on an actual date. He had never been intimate with anyone at all. When he was younger, anyone that showed any interest in him, regardless of gender or background, died and disappeared. So before it could weigh too heavily on his conscious he had simply dismissed the entire notion of that part of his life and moved on. He would leave procreating up to Sasuke or he would wait until he could kill Oorochimaru. Because he had no doubt that it was Oorochimaru fucking with his life for kicks.

But this man seemed like he could handle himself. Hopefully…he was charged with the future Hokage. "What is your name?" Itachi asked instead of confirming the deal.

"Hibaku Deidara."

Itachi glanced over and caught his gaze, well, one of his eyes anyway. The other was still hidden beneath hair. He appraised him for a moment before turning back to his Otouto. For him he would do anything. "You have a deal Hibaku Deidara. I trust you'll make time to find me for the particulars. Good night." He strode over to let his little brother know that he was bored of this affair and ready to retire. Of course this only took a moment's look and they met at the door before leaving.

Yes, he would do anything for his Otouto. Even if that meant to endure a night with that alluring blonde from Iwa.

* * *

><p>There was smart clicking down the Konoha Public Municipal Building early the next morning. It was situated on the other side of the city from City Hall, and perhaps that was symbolic enough. The Daimyo also had an office here but it was well known to be rarely used. It was a grand building that wasn't as tall or modern as City Hall, but much more stately and decadent, archaic and useless.<p>

Just like the council actually, Tsunade thought as she made her way toward the very top floor, fifth floor, out of the elevator and down the hall to a corner office with a gold plated named pinned to it. Shimura Danzo, head councilman of Konohagakure. Tsunade knocked twice and prepared a Buddhist chant to keep her temper and murderous urges at bay.

"You may enter." Sounded pretentiously through the glossy cherry wood and Tsunade increased the speed of the chant through her mind.

She strode in and took a seat, placing one ankle above one knee and folding her fingers together. "You requested to speak with me?" She asked innocently.

"Yes." The older man said, staring into her with one eye as the other was wrapped heavily in bandages that coiled around his greying hair as well. "Quite a while ago at that."

"Ahh, yes. I apologize for the delay. Things are hectic in City Hall right now, especially with the Kazekage's delicate situation. You understand I'm sure." She even smiled to put cherries on top of everything else.

"Right, right." Danzo nodded and made a show of using his cane to help himself out of his grand leather chair. It was all for show, Tsunade knew, because this man was more than limber, being the head of the black ops organization ROOTS within the ANBU corps. He had been an ANBUROOTS captain for decades before he took this job and had never experienced any war wound or accident that would lend to the crippled movements displayed. "Well I only asked you here to inquire about a few things. But before that, tea?" He asked as he hobbled over to a small kitchenette stationed at the very corner of his office and put an ornate black kettle on the small stove.

"No, thank you." She denied sweetly. Tsunade would give him no occasion to poison her.

When he finally sat down with a warm cup of superbly fragrant tea he looked upon her at length. "You seemed to have acquired Sai, smart move, and I applaud you for it. But I want him back, he is an ANBUROOT captain and it is not within your jurisdiction to discipline him for inappropriate conduct."

"His conduct was beyond inappropriate, it endangered the lives of my citizens, myself and those in my office."

"How is this possible? He is trained to make no other moves than what were ordered of him. He had no record of ever breaking this training."

"He became obsessed with his mission. One that I can only assume was to tail Uzumaki Naruto, since he did not say for certain. He was given an adjoined mission by Chief Sannin, but that only took a few hours of his time. When he approached me with your message he began to ask questions incessantly and when we could not answer him, or answer him fast enough he began to show signs of acute aggression. At that time I incapacitated him myself before rousing him once more to deliver his dismissal orders. It was only later after some counseling that I decided he could still be of some use instead of discharging him altogether."

"I don't believe you." Danzo stated with one narrowed, volatile eye.

"I will have the testimonies of the four elected officials who were present at the very beginning and then later during the violent outbreak. Including my own." Tsunade continued to smile.

There was a long stretch of silence before Danzo placed his tea cup down on his desk with a sharp noise. "You do realize that none of this will change the fact that Uzumaki Naruto has been condemned to the INDO program. That is if he wishes to become Hokage. It has been approved and voted upon." He seemed to take glee from the words alone. He could hardly wait, Tsunade realized. "I will even be present at the first injection to make sure that all is done properly."

Tsunade stood abruptly, the Buddhist chant flying through her mind so fast it's sound resembled a motor. "I take it we're done here." As she was closing the door she whispered loud enough for him to hear. "We'll see, Danzo-sama."

* * *

><p>"So," Sasuke started with his trademark smirk. "what does our future Hokage like to do?"<p>

With a sigh, Naruto decided he was determined to at least _try_ to have a decent conversation, no matter if it was the ass-crack, excuse his language, of dawn. But really what had he expected? The Uchiha had shown up at his door, like Naruto knew he would, had demanded he dress in something "sexy", like Naruto had an idea he would. And when the blonde had slowly, painstakingly slowly, turned to look at a local digital clock and seen the ungodly hour he had mentioned it and Sasuke had blown him off with an impatient snap that he go get "goddamned dressed", like Naruto figured he would. He supposed he should thank Jiraiya for those updated supplements, they really helped mellow out his animal side. There weren't even any reactions to Sasuke's scent. He could still smell it of course, but it didn't do funny things to his head like before. Ahh, he supposed he should answer Sasuke too. "Anything really. What about you?" He finally responded, life filtering into his body. He _was_ a morning person, after all.

"Hmm, you really want me to just decide what we're doing?"

Naruto leveled him a look. "Would we have been doing anything other than what you wanted to do?"

Sasuke chuckled, a small smile lighting his face in a way that had Naruto's breath hitching in his throat, but then the ever present smirk was back. "You catch on quickly for a blonde." And then the dark haired one was leading the way to what had to be possibly the sexiest sports car the other had ever had the pleasure of seeing. Now, Naruto didn't necessarily consider himself a car buff but he could appreciate this slick mistress as the Sasuke pressed a button on his key chain and the suicide doors swung open in greeting. Sasuke hummed in approval of Naruto's reverent petting of his 'baby'. "You like her? I'm glad; it means you have some taste."

Naruto snorted. "I think a blind man would like her. Damn, you even—what the hell kind of tires are these?" He eyed the spiked wheels. Those kinds of tires looked like the belonged on all terrain military vehicles.

Sasuke shrugged. He was taking a major risk by picking up Naruto in the car he often used in his missions. All black with paint that with a touch of a button could come off looking like a dark blue, green, red or brown in the shine. But he figured that there really wasn't any reason to try and hide it. Even if they hadn't said anything verbally, it was pretty much solidified that Naruto had recognized him from the hotel that night and hadn't said anything for some unknown reason. Or so Sasuke would like to think, because if that interview/interrogation shit was a tip from Naruto, that would change the game entirely. "The most expensive I could find." He hoped that answer would suffice. He really didn't want to have to elaborate about what he actually needed those tires for.

"Right." The blonde replied with a snort. He would take that answer with an atom-sized amount of salt. He got in the car and was glad his intuition had told him not to try and close the doors. As soon as Sasuke started the car the doors swung down and closed with a swift snap that startled him.

"I suggest you hold on." Sasuke was just looking at him with that infuriating smirk, his foot revving the gas without having switched to drive yet.

Naruto was in the middle of buckling his seat belt when he asked. "Why?"

It seemed the snap of his seat belt was the 'Go' sign the way Sasuke whipped the car around the empty parking lot. "I'm going to show you this baby's not just for show." Because honestly, his pride in the fact that he was a badass driver had far overridden the fact that it just wasn't smart to introduce a tool in his spy weaponry. Later, with the windows rolled down and Sasuke executing moves only done in movies, in sparsely filled streets of Konoha, Naruto's golden sounding laughter became what overrode many of the warnings in his mind.

Many interesting hours later found them in the most well-known and affluent mall in the metropolis. Naruto was garnering enough attention, as everyone knew his face, that Sasuke felt smug at the surprised glances at his forced hand around Naruto's waist. Naruto for his part, once he noticed the growing problem, had tried to escape many times…but to no avail. That and _maybe_ it wasn't so bad. Not many people knew Sasuke by face, unless they were educated enough to follow that type of crowd, but he was naturally a very tall and outward presence when he wasn't masking himself. So when the first person attempted to take a picture of them, with a measured degree of subtlety, Sasuke had glared them into rethinking that thought and spirited them both away to the upper levels. There was a fancy restaurant there that had most of its seating on the roof of the mall. The view was spectacular, romantic and all that shit. Sasuke figured if the blonde was as emotional as he thought him to be, this would score big.

Never mind the dangers of seeing familiar faces. However one look at the predicted expressions falling over Naruto's face as he quietly took in all of the sparkling city lights as far as the eye could see in the blue black night, and he figured it was worth it once again.

Until the dangers he had been worried about surfaced as they were just entering their second course and Sasuke had gotten Naruto to divulge his worst semester grades at the University. It sauntered in with an airy maxi dress on, a shawl, for the fall night breeze, and shades. And Pink. It had a date with it, some man that didn't ring a bell. And just as Sasuke had seen it, it had seen him upon entry. And Naruto. It looked stunned for a minute, pulling down the shades and showing a decidedly disapproving look, that flittered with determination as the thing seemed to gather whatever courage it had to approach the table. But Sasuke straightened with a slow practiced movement and pushed every piece of hatred that he harbored for that thing into his glare. If she moved one more foot toward them Sasuke would kill her. Right then and there, in a manner that would seem like she had a heart attack. Sasuke slowly swore on her life and conveyed such certainty in his eyes.

She was smarter than she looked because she retreated a step, pushed her shades back up, and followed the staff to her seating. He received a text not three minutes later. Naruto looked at him sharply and quirked a brow, but didn't speak as Sasuke pulled it out with a decidedly annoyed fashion. It read:

'Meet me at the bar in 5 or I WILL come over there.'

Was she threatening him? He decided it just wasn't worth it and excused himself four minutes later, to which Naruto gave a blinding smile and assured him he was a big boy and could handle a moment without Sasuke. Sasuke didn't appreciate that comment and secretly decided to endeavor to prove otherwise. All in good time, of course. So the met the antithesis of his being at large. She was nursing something and set it down with a snap. "What are you doing here with him?" She seemed so on edge that it was odd. Not the on edge part, just the genuine emotion. She normally seemed to run on preempted fumes from some terrible movie like Casa Blanca or something such.

"I'm minding my business, what are you doing?"

"Don't fuck with me, why are you here with him?"

Sasuke was even more genuinely surprised. "We're on a date. Why does that bother you so much?" Only he knew why, but he wanted to hear what next lame ass excuse she could conjure up.

"What are you using him for?"

Sasuke stared at her for a moment. Using him? It wasn't a farfetched idea. It was just interesting that she had immediately equated his answer of "date" to …that. "We're on a _date_ Haruno. What do you mean 'What am I using him for?'"

"You must be doing this for something. So what is it? Why do you need to do…that stuff with him? He isn't like other people, you can't just use and discard him! Naruto does things all the way! You'll break his little-"

"Haruno." He stressed, conscious of the time he was wasting with her. "I won a date with him. You may put your small mind at ease. At the moment, a date is all it is. Now, what did you mean by "that stuff"?" After a moment's hesitation Sasuke went out on an idea. "You mean, like our arrangement?" Sakura nodded without speaking. "Please understand that my arrangement with you is a purely forced business transaction that I would love to terminate at any point. With Naruto, it is not such. Are you assuaged now?"

"Naruto?" Sakura looked back up at him sharply. Her face seemed to twist with something even with her shades on. "You call him by his first name?"

And Sasuke recognizing how much that ate at her, answered with a smirking, "Yes." He realized then that he had never seen a woman look so bitter.

Even with her eyewear, he could tell her eyes had narrowed. "I could ruin your little date." Her voice rose and Sasuke stepped so close to her their bodies touched faintly and his lips skimmed her ears every time his lips moved.

"And I could kill you, which I am sorely contemplating as I speak."

She seemed to falter, but then Sakura gathered up her courage. "Tonight. I want to see you tonight. My house, whenever you're…free." She sneered the last part and looked him in the eye.

Sasuke stood back and thought about refusing, but she was just so goddamn annoying, and killing her really would create more problems than he needed at this point. So it was very possible that she could waltz over to the table and destroy all his hard work with the future Hokage. He sighed inwardly and outwardly simply turned away from the miserable sight. "Agreed."

As he sat back down and asked if the blonde wanted any desert, he came to the frustrating conclusion that he would have to go without fucking his little fox once again. For something told him after he slept with Naruto, there would be no going back. And certainly no Sakura.

* * *

><p>His date with Sasuke was not nearly as torturous as he had imagined it would be. They had spent a good hour with Sasuke driving unholy speeds and doing stunt driver drifts throughout Konoha before morning traffic had started and pedestrians had popped up. They'd caught breakfast at a place Sasuke said he knew, a little diner on the west side of town. It was a bit more urban there, and shifty, but no one had tried to touch the exorbitantly expensive looking car outside that Sasuke had laughed about putting an alarm on. He'd bragged that he <em>wanted<em> to see someone try and steal it. No one had and it had just made his ego unbearable for a few minutes.

Then they drove to the outskirts, near the Uchiha mansion actually and Sasuke had pressed a button that made the interior light up in blue and a smooth feminine voice sounded out. He told Naruto to join him on the hood of the car and the blonde had obeyed. After a moment of looking out at the beautiful scenery, Sasuke had said loudly, "Drive to Hokage Mountain." And the freaking car had started backing out and driving to the freaking mountain. After having small heart attacks at every turn, clutching onto Sasuke's shirt so bad it had wrinkled and mouthing for help and the two vehicles that had passed by on the scenic route, Naruto felt eighty years old. His stomach was in one elaborate knot but he admitted it was the coolest thing he had ever done. Sasuke's ego had been unbearable yet again for nearly an hour.

After actually talking under the carved faces of Hokages past it was about lunch time. So the drove around and argued about what to eat. Naruto had felt for some simple pizza while Sasuke claimed his pallet was too refined for simple food such as that. Naruto had brought up the very simple diner they had eaten at that same morning and Sasuke had switched the subject to the fact that it was _his_ date and they were going to where _he_ wanted. End of story.

It had continued like that to the mall then the restaurant and finally they were in front of Naruto's apartment. The blonde fished out the key from his back pocket and tried not to act like a girl, because he couldn't help but feel like it. Sasuke leaned very close and put his lips to Naruto's ear. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

The shorter one ducked his head and fought a blush. "Somehow I don't think that's a good idea." He didn't turn towards his door, his back still up against it. Sasuke's scent was so much stronger right now, more so than all day. Perhaps the medication was wearing off? He didn't want to find out.

"Oh? Why is that?"

"You'll take advantage of me." It was whispered but steady. Something more well-known in the back of his mind than he had wanted to admit. Of course Sasuke was only doing this for some ulterior motive, be it his position or his body…. He felt himself sigh softly at the reminder. Naruto straightened a bit suddenly and softly pushed Sasuke back. He leaned up slightly and pressed lips against a pale cheek. "Thanks, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had a nice night."

Sasuke watched as he smiled beautifully from a few steps back and turned to open his door. As he stepped in Sasuke stepped forward and caught his wrist in a flash. He twirled Naruto in a forward manner while stepping through the threshold and kicking the door shut. It was a two second move that ended with Naruto's back against his door and Sasuke pressed firmly against his chest. "Na, Uzumaki-san, I think you may have already forgotten what I told you in the parking garage." He pressed his nose and lips firmly into the skin where Naruto's neck met his shoulders.

The blond quivered slightly and cursed as the very familiar tingle in his teeth alerted him to his growing fangs. It was odd because he was still in complete control of himself. "Sasuke no." He said firmly, though he didn't try to push him away. "I'm not ready to do that with anyone."

Sasuke paused at the odd wording and stepped back just a bit to see the blushing face. "That?" Then with disbelief he added. "You're a virgin?"

Naruto now thoroughly mortified pushed Sasuke roughly and made his way to his kitchen. "No." He tossed behind himself grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and twisting the seal with viciousness. "I lost that at an insanely young age."

Sasuke's brows rose at the bitterness that coated that. "Alright." He decided now was not the night to pry. But he would find out later. "But you're not ready to have sex again until…?"

"I meet someone I love." The blonde said with such candid frankness and eye contact that Sasuke could hear the unspoken 'and it isn't you.'

Why did that smart so much? But the brunet decided to laugh it off, making his way to the kitchen to corner Naruto against a countertop. He hoisted the blonde up with no effort and tried not to laugh at his affronted face. "Relax, silly Hokage. I didn't mean to have sex tonight anyway. Unlike good little boys, I won't be going to bed just yet, I still have work to do." He casually opened Naruto's legs and stepped between them.

"Oh? What kind of job this time?" Naruto wondered if he acted nonchalant enough Sasuke would admit to something. Though he didn't _want_ Sasuke to admit to anything and even if he did….Oh dear, that was complicated.

Sasuke laughed at the effort. "An unimportant one, and I'll be making my way once I get this last thing."

"What thing?" Naruto's head tilted slightly in naive curiosity. Did he have something of Sasuke's? It wasn't slow, but it was a steady, unavoidable, oncoming sort of kiss that Naruto couldn't have escaped if he tried. So he didn't. It was severe. Sasuke made such sure and dominating moves with his tongue that Naruto could hardly keep up. He felt his body tingle like live wire. He panted through the kiss, black cinnamon filling his senses until he became unlike himself. And when he tasted a tangy copper, for Sasuke had nicked himself on one of his fangs, a high, drawn out whine escaped from the back of his throat as he sought out the source of such a flavor. He didn't realize that slightly clawed fingers were leaving trails along the back of Sasuke's neck and along the shoulders where he had clutched for stability. Nor was he specifically aware of the legs he had locked around the trim waist before him.

But Sasuke was aware. It was hard to push his senses past anything but the soft, wet heat of the blonde's mouth. But he felt the pain as soon as the claws dug in the hair at the nape of his neck. Or the ankles locked around him that pulled him harshly into the countertop, his poor groin had lamented that it was so high. He could feel the heat of Naruto's pelvis pressed firmly against the abs of his stomach and had to scratch his nails across the countertop to control himself. It was just a kiss! He tried to explain to his body but….The whine was what brought him back and he pulled himself away as if unaware of where he was or what had happened. How long had they been doing that for?

He focused his gaze on Naruto, mouth open to say something, anything but he didn't. The blonde was just opening his eyes to reveal a beautiful wine color with flecks of blood red and elongated pupils. His eyelashes were black and his whiskers more pronounced. His fangs were poking well over his darkened lips and there was a string of saliva that was connecting them that he licked thoroughly in what must have been an absent minded manner. For the smaller man was looking at him like the assassin was dinner.

The creature leaned forward running his nose across the other's lips and then repeating the process with in long canine-like tongue. When Sasuke swallowed he got a vague idea that it must be because he was bleeding. He hadn't noticed. So he opened his mouth slowly, curious. And when Naruto slid his own tongue so far back it hit his tonsils in search of the wound, it felt so good he bucked into the cabinets below the countertop. He must have found it, Sasuke thought, because he was giving a deep rumbling sort of purr and was undulating his hips in a very cruel fashion.

Damn Sakura to the pits of hell. For Sasuke was not nice enough to pass up this opportunity simply because the blonde wasn't in his right state of mind. His right state of mind could jump off a bridge. He could imagine leashing this Naruto and keeping him as a pet. A very exclusive type of pet, the kind that stayed in his bedroom, whom no one else would touch but Sasuke. But then his cell phone gave a vicious vibrate through his pocket he backed up abruptly. He tried to calm his mind and body, observing the other as he gave a whine, arched slowly and licked his own lips. He was staring at Sasuke, gripping the countertop between his legs and leaning forward as if waiting for something. A command? A signal? Sasuke was sure to remain still.

It had been approximately three minutes but the revert back was happening much slower than before. He decided to help it along, he needed to be on his way now. "Naruto." He called in a harsher fashion than he wished but it did well to get the job done. The blonde across from him stilled and he watched those eyes twist through different purples before lighting back on a very blue blue. The darkness from his cheeks and eyelashes faded and he sat up in a more alerted fashion. The Uchiha smirked. "If you're quite done mauling me, I think I'll be on my way." The subsequent blush vaguely reminded him of the Hyuuga heiress. At the door he called. "See you later, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto wished he could implode on demand.

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><p>Sakura was both parts giddy and annoyed as she pranced about her Central City apartment. Central City was the hardest precinct to get an apartment what with it being right next to City Hall, University, hotel and shopping strips. In fact out of most of the people she knew, only a select few had apartments in Central City, Naruto being one of them. Although his was on the other side, perhaps a twenty minute walk, or half hours drive with traffic. Sakura figured, because she was smarter than the average rosette, that that was where Sasuke would end his date with him, whenever that happened. And they better not have sex! She had txt him just a moment and said in very suave, femme fatale tones, that he better not try and screw her over and to hurry the fuck up.<p>

She stilled when shivers broke over her body, taking a moment to glance around her chicly furnished apartment. She couldn't shake this feeling that she was being watched. It had been following her all the way from the promo party last night. She had checked every room in her apartment, including the broom closet, twice and yet nothing. She felt like she was losing her marbles. But then she remembered that Sasuke was coming soon, and a grin overtook her face. She went to her lingerie section in her walk in closet and debated over which to wear tonight.

Her power went out. Which was odd because stuff like power outages hardly happened in Central City apartments. She paid too much fucking money to have to deal with occurrences like that. She decided she would call management and complain but it was too dark to find her phone at this point. She knew she kept a candle in the bathroom for those times she felt like pampering herself and made her way there with her hands held out.

She had just lit the candle when she felt cold breath along the back of her neck. She glanced up in the long vanity above the counter and her breath hitched. Mesmerizingly disgusting yellow eyes held hers. She felt her body shake on her feet as lips pulled back to smile showing many jagged and disfigured teeth. Arms crossed over to form an X rose behind her and almost lovingly draped a wire over her head to settle on her collar bone. She shook her head no. No, she didn't want this. He tilted his head as if to answer yes. Yes she did. She didn't understand.

The arms began to move outward, slowly and the wire began to close around her neck. As it began to constrict and she saw no mercy from the freakish smiling face, she realized then that she was going to die. Horribly.

But she just didn't understand why. She just didn't understand.

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><p>Kabuto understood. She was such a filthy creature. So unworthy of the little Uchiha's essence, and yet she had cajoled her little fingers into prying it out of him. Disgusting. Sasuke was not hers to defile, for there were those whom had spent far more time invested in him, conditioning his pretty pale skin to react, teaching his body fear and his voice to sing. She was completely undeserving and he was sure his Oorochimaru-sama would agree. He had gradually began to ignore her importance to the Uchiha's as her continued relationship with the youngest made his blood boil. Sasuke didn't want her. That much was apparent in the mile wide distance the brunet put between them and his inability to leave her presence fast enough. And yet the witch would manipulate him back time and time again. Devising her demise had not been tasking enough to fully occupy Kabuto's whole mind. Weeks of observation had allowed him into much of her life.<p>

He had planned to kill her publically during the Hyuuga party. Sneaking in had been a simple matter. His body was fused with the cells of Oorochimaru's hand created snakes and many forbidden jutsus were sewn into his skin. He had simply transformed into a snake, slithered in, transformed back and voila. Seeing Itachi so on edge had been lovely as well but his main goal had been to get close to the pink haired harpy. But she had kept close company with the Hyuuga heiress and the future Hokage and the more he had thought about it, the more he had wanted her death to mean something significant to Sasuke. He wanted her death to become a catalyst. Something to spiral him down a depth of paranoia and demise.

He had entered her apartment much the same way, severed her connection to electricity just to spice things up, and had decided that her death would be a messy and painful one. So he had decapitated her, slowly, with wire. Oh, she had made some of the prettiest sounds, but too much fun was not to be had for he believed Sasuke was on his way soon and he had to be gone by then or all of his planning would have been for naught. He dragged the body around, smearing blood and placed her pieces in specific order. He dipped his hand written letter in her blood and placed it as well. It was too bad he wouldn't be here to see the little Uchiha's reaction. But he couldn't risk it, not with his probable use of the Sharingan. He would have to be at least outside of a ten mile wide radius. He finished his masterpiece quickly and retreated back to his car.

When he was safely outside the required distance be pulled over and reached back under the passenger's seat to pull out a book. Opening it he pulled out a few strands of pink hair he had stolen and inserted them in the pages next to the rows upon rows of pictures he had accumulated. Weeks of observation had allowed him plenty of times to take pictures; some cute, some dear and many were in compromising positions with Haruno Sakura. He stroked the pages lovingly, imagining himself twisted in tangles with the pale visage of his affection. He belatedly realized he was drooling. He would succeed;, he would recapture the pretty little Uchiha and transport him back to that time when things had been such fun.

And he would destroy anyone he needed to make that happen.

He could hardly wait.

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><p><strong>[AN] Here it is! Please tell me what you think. REVIEW, dammit. I should have another one up before Sept, when school starts, but I won't promise anything. Reviews do help to inspire and put some fire under my ass.**

**Edit: Anyway, no new chapter, just some house cleaning.**

**Ciao**


	6. Chapter 6

**[A/N] Wow. The time it took to update was simply disgusting. All I can say was that I ran out of steam. I NEED LOVE PEOPLE, reviews feed my imagination. Hopefully this chappie was worth the wait. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Subduing a Fox<strong>

**Chapter Six**

Sasuke became apprehensive as soon as he exited the elevator to find the hall pitch black and her door just slightly open. After pushing it with one knuckle he was flooded with the strong, unmistakably tangy scent of blood. Lots of blood. Strangely he wasn't too worried, he realized, because out of all the possibilities of dead people that could be inside Haruno Sakura's apartment, he couldn't think of one he cared about. He toed off his shoes and pulled off his socks, stuffing them inside. The bottoms of his feet were treated with skin-eating bacteria and then coated with heavy silicone, ensuring that he never left a trace of himself and never felt pain on his soles. Barefoot was a much smarter option than leaving shoe imprints that could be traced back to him. After a quick debate he left them outside and ventured into the blackness very, very slowly.

He activated his Sharingan and assessed the situation. This was his first time inside her apartment, though he had known its location long before even approaching her, and he was not disappointed in the furnishings. Fashionable pieces, and opulent decorations that were a little past tasteful and just into cloying. Very much Haruno Sakura. There was an adjoined dining room, and further down a kitchen. A door led into what looked like a hallway, but before he could even get there, there was a headless body laid directly in front of the doorway and large pool of deep red blood. All it took was a glance to confirm it was the former Assistant CMHR. But her arms and hands were placed oddly, a finger from each hand pointing above herself, forward, toward the doorway leading into the hall. That alone was enough to tell him the murderer knew her or knew something of her. He had no doubt that there was a message laid for whomever found her beyond that point, why else would she be placed to lead him?

He obeyed dutifully, hopping neatly over her and into the hall. He followed a convenient blood trail down the darkness and into a room that he immediately recognized as belonging to her. Everything seemed neat, more pink and personal, but nothing …out of place. Where was the head? He was almost positive that this was what she was pointing to. He was careful to only use the very tips of his finger, the similarly treated parts, to open the closet door. There was no head there, no blood either. When he made his way to the last door to be checked he came upon a bathroom, and his prize. Her head was placed in a large, beautiful sink, her eyes wide and face twisted into a horrible grimace that could only attest to her death. In her mouth was a folded piece of paper, but the most disturbing thing was the message written neatly in blood on the mirror.

'_I know you made a deal, but she just wasn't worth it. Was she? I know you hated it when she touched you. I hated it too.' _

What the fuck?

All of a sudden he jumped passed worried and into panic. This wasn't for Haruno, this was for HIM. This person knew of him, knew of the illegal deal he had with Haruno, knew he was exchanging his body for information and hinted at disapproval that may be bordering on dangerous. All he could think in this moment was; What the fuck. How had this happened, who was this person? Had he been tailed? He looked around activating another level in his Sharingan to allow him to see significant chakra signatures in a ten mile radius. There was a trail, light and foreign and dissipating. Completely unhelpful. His head whipped back to the message. He reread it, and reread it, and reread it again and again until his eyes were skimming across the bloody lines in the mirror nonstop. His body was shaking and he forcefully clamped his eyes shut and took a deep breath.

He was Uchiha Sasuke, head assassin of the Uchiha clan. There was hardly a more dangerous motherfucker on the planet, than himself and he would be damned if some two-bit, stalking imitator proved him otherwise.

He took another deep breath and began thinking. The longer he stayed here, the more chance of a slip on his part that may lead to physical evidence, say a hair, for example. He needed to destroy all connections Haruno had with him, and then he needed to find this fucker. Sasuke snatched the note out of the twisted mouth, stuffed it into his pocket, and carefully stalked out. He ransacked all of her belongings without leaving anything a millimeter off from where he had found it. He found her laptop, her cellphone and chargers, her PDA, her back up hard drive as well as several portable hard drives and USBs. He loaded everything neatly into his arms, and headed back out to the pitch black hall, and replaced his sock and shoes. He needed to get back to his car and still avoid cameras and anyone who might be able to identify him so with a huff he sat down on the other side of the hall way and stacked the pilfered items into his lap. A few hand signs had him teleported to his car. He picked himself back up and jumped inside. One button press away had him speaking in a rushed tone as he swerved out into traffic.

"Aniki, we have a problem."

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><p>Itachi generally hated when Sasuke called for his help. Not because he didn't like helping his adorable Otouto, no; it was usually because if there was something <em>Sasuke<em> couldn't handle, it was bound to give him a migraine. So when he sensed his brother enter the house, he left his office, met him on the landing, and the both of them made their way to his suite. While Sasuke paced in front of the fireplace, Itachi fixed them both stiff whiskeys and sighed.

"What troubles you, Otouto?"

Sasuke was shaking his head in disbelief before his brother had even finished speaking. "No matter how I rearrange it, no matter how hard I try to think…to remember, I just can't recall…anything!" His hands flailed slightly in agitation before Itachi stuffed a drink in one and pushed him to the settee.

"Here, drink this and sit down. Now, tell me what the problem is." Sasuke wordlessly fished out the crumpled letter and took the drink back in one gulp. Itachi looked at it in confusion. "This is your problem?" Granted, there was blood on the waded up ball…

"A part of it." Sasuke sighed out; he decided to just bite the bullet. "Sakura's dead. I just came from her place. She was…murdered, beheaded with… I'd have to think something serrated… or a wire of some sort. It just wasn't clean at all." Sasuke was up and back at the bar pouring himself another. His back conveniently to his brother. He was just one disappointment after another these days.

Itachi breathed out an inaudible _'Fuck'_ and looked to the ceiling for guidance. "Great." He nearly whispered, his voice never rising with the frustration he felt. "So this mission has failed. And how, might I ask, was someone able to get to the useless breeder before you on a night I'm going to assume you were supposed to see her?"

Sasuke gulped down his third glass and turned back around slowly, his eyes solely on the carpet. He imagined he could feel his testicles ascending under his brother's silent stare. "Well, I-uh, wasn't really supposed to see her tonight. She saw me on a date with Naruto, said some jealous shit and then basically black-mailed me into meeting her later tonight. When I got there, she was in pieces all over her apartment and I found that," He nodded to the crumpled paper. "in her mouth. I packed all the shit that could possibly connect us and ran here. The problem-" Sasuke took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. Very atypical Sasuke behavior and Itachi raised a brow. "the problem is there was a message left for me on her mirror, written in her blood. It was ambiguous enough, but, it was definitely to me."

At this news Itachi hardened. "What did it say?" Sasuke repeated the message word for word. "Do you believe her to be the primary target?"

Sasuke nodded slowly, staring off and thinking. "Definitely. Whoever did this, planned this out. The way her body lay pointing to her head, the message, the actual murder scene and then that." He pointed to the crumpled, bloody ball again.

Itachi looked down and suddenly felt trepidation in his belly. He really didn't want to open this. But Sasuke came and sat next to him on the settee, sides touching and leaned a bit against him. He was a bit rattled, Itachi detected, and in turn, it rattled him. "Aniki, lets open this. It has to have some relevant information about what the fuck is happening." Itachi nodded wordlessly and peeled open the paper. They both stared down at the baroque hand written script.

_I always found your eyes to be fascinating, especially when you prowl about looking over everything, trying so hard to protect your precious brother when you never even seem to see me._

_ I miss those eyes._

_ I still remember when they were scrunched tight in fear and you would beg, no…plead…._

_ And yet you chose to cast those eyes upon the lowly bitch Haruno. She got what was comin' to her. I'll watch over you forever. And then one day…_

_ I want those eyes._

_ Yours,_

_ Heibi_

Sasuke's eyes were wide. "Aniki, what the fuck is this?" He squinted at the flowery print. "Heibi? Isn't that Otogakuran for…uh, snake?" He looked up to his brother and promptly shut the fuck up. Itachi's jaw ticked with his fury, his breathing was heavy and slow, something like bull. Chakra seemed to be building until the paper in his hands began disintegrating into ash. His wrist cast the excess power into his empty fireplace and a massive roar burst before settling into a rather large fire. This was him trying to contain himself, Sasuke was sure. With jerking motions he stood and walked to his bureau for a moment before walking back and dropping another pair of little white pills into Sasuke's waiting hand. He sat back into the settee, his left hand reaching and then clutching his Otouto's right one.

Itachi spoke so lowly that Sasuke half wished the fire would shut up so he could hear him better. "Be silent Sasuke. You will lie low; you will not stray too far from me. You will be staying here instead of your apartment for a while. You will obey me without question in the following months."

The boy nodded and silence ensued. He took the pills dry, deciding not to move from his brother's side for something as trivial as water.

Itachi grit his teeth. Normally Sasuke would have been able to trace a tag a mile away, but he couldn't blame his brother in this context. He couldn't very well just explain that he had wiped every essence of their existence from Sasuke's psyche to the point that he no longer even registered their presence. That would certainly raise questions better left in their graves. At the time it had seemed like an excellent idea, but Itachi had never foreseen the small obstacle of that choice interfering with Sasuke's defenses. Now things were beginning to get extremely harrowing. If they could see Sasuke, but Sasuke could only see them if they were directly in front of him…the possibilities were absolutely frightening.

Two pairs of Sharingan stared into the blazing fire while Itachi reaffirmed Sasuke's safety with the warmth of his hand. Sasuke glanced at his brother and swallowed audibly. It had been such a long time since he had seen this look on his brother's face and even that memory was a very fuzzy one. He decided he wouldn't ask any questions. It was obvious that Itachi had more information on the letter that was probably sent by the same guy that had sent the snake is his car. But he trusted his brother and had always known and accepted that Itachi did not share absolutely everything with him. He trusted his Aniki completely; so he would do as bided. He just felt a bit bad.

For whoever had managed to piss his brother off this much.

* * *

><p>It was cold even for an early December morning. Well, morning was being used loosely as the sun wasn't even up yet, not for another half hour at least. Naruto was securing a scarf while his new bodyguardfriend waited for him on the sidewalk. With a friendly smile the two began jogging in a routine that had yet to fail to leave the blonde satisfied but not too sore. He had Deidara to thank for that. They would jog briskly to a city park nearby, about four blocks in two directions, circle the small lake there two times and then run all the way back to the apartment. With no interruptions it was a forty minute workout that left Naruto plenty of time to bathe while Deidara made a quick breakfast and the two would start the day early. Just how Naruto liked it. He was a super morning person, and Kami had blessed him with a super morning person companion. Life was good.

Until this time around as Naruto and Deidara were nearing the apartment there was a black SUV parked right at the entrance that wasn't there before. Deidara immediately pulled Naruto back, the two of them stopping completely. A door opened and the Hokage stepped out wearing all black, with a wide black hat and large black shades. The sun had just come up and was glaring, Naruto could understand, but Tsunade baa-chan just looked….dreary. He went to greet her, hugging her tightly with a cheerful "Good morning!" Maybe she just needed to smile.

But she shook her head solemnly. "It's not Naruto. It's not at all." He didn't like the sound of that, he didn't like the way she was looking at him even more. "Come with me, Naruto."

He cocked his head to the side slightly and nodded slowly. Something was definitely wrong. "Sure thing baa-chan, let me just go change real quick and I-"

"No, now. I need you to come right now."

It still wasn't a suggestion, but so unlike her all the same. No insults, no forceful gestures, just solemn eyes and soft spoken words. He didn't like it, he didn't like it all. So he complied immediately, getting in the dark SUV and making room for Deidara as well. They drove in silence towards the outskirts of Konoha. Tsunade sat quietly next to Kakashi, and across from her Naruto observed with Deidara next to him. After about fifty minutes of riding he wanted to ask where they were going but refrained. He suddenly didn't want to know, not with the way Tsunade kept opening her mouth as if to speak before closing it and saying nothing at all. That was so _unlike_ her.

They arrived at an oppressive looking nondescript building that, even in the cheery early morning light, looked sad. Kakashi held the door open as they all entered and the scent hit Naruto hard. Before he could even properly identify what it was, his hackles, both metaphorical and physical, were rising. He whirled to her, "What is this?" He asked a bit more forcefully than he intended.

She took off her shades and still couldn't look at him while she tried to formulate her response. In the end she begged quietly, "Please just follow me, Naruto." and proceeded to walk.

It wasn't a very long walk, but it twisted his stomach into knots. Subconsciously he knew the only reason Tsunade would bring him to someplace like this, was because it was someone close to him; someone he knew. They entered a room with bluish lights and a body laid on a slab with a white sheet covering it. Tsunade stayed against the wall, and said nothing else. Naruto understood that this was his cue, but he remained still, eyes fixed on the corpse, for some time before he inched forward. He stared at the body, now right next to it, but could not tell who it was through the sheet. He just couldn't touch it. "Deidara." He found himself croaking, and the other blonde silently moved forward and delicately pulled the sheet back with any hesitation.

"Ah," He made a noise of comprehension, that had Naruto been paying attention, he would have found strange.

But he wasn't, he was too busy staring while the lights became brighter and his head became fuzzy. There was an atrocious sounding roar in his head that sound both like a train and a beast. His knees became weak and he shook his head in disbelief. Sakura. Sakura. Sakura. Sakura. Why Sakura? Who would DO this to her?

His pupils were shaking even as his body became stock still. He could feel a flush overwhelming him; his teeth pushing down, his nails pushing out. His body was preparing to wreak havoc. He missed Kakashi give Deidara a very poignant look before his arm flashed out and two darts expertly located themselves one right under the ear at the base of his jaw and another in his neck. Tsunade spoke, "Naruto, we can't have you turning Kyuubi. We know that this is…this is gruesome, but please try to calm down."

Gruesome. That was a fitting word. Even the large amount of work that had gone into fixing Sakura could not disguise that jagged line at the base of her neck. She had been beheaded in the worst of ways. And worst of all, she had been alone; completely alone and unprotected. Naruto finally felt all strength leave his as his tear ducts began to overflow. He sobbed harshly and suddenly Tsunade's large bosom was there, cradling him as he wailed.

He wasn't sure how long he was there, keeling next to Sakura's cold corpse. When he was spent, Tsunade rubbed his back slowly and spoke. "Naruto, we-we don't have all the details yet, but tomorrow I'll be able to give you an in depth explanation. Her funeral is tomorrow, so until then I just need you to be strong and, it goes without saying, but discreet. Her death is not public knowledge at this point. Do you understand?" Naruto felt himself nod; he was so far gone, detached, he didn't know anything anymore. He felt numb, and yet there was still a burning, simmering rage so close beneath the surface. He shied away from it, he was cognizant enough to know that he had no outlet right now, so that rage would only harm himself and those close to him.

He stood on shaky feet with the help of Deidara. He was afforded one last glance at her, before he was pulled out the dreary building and into the chipper morning light. He hated everything; the singing birds, the bright sun, the faint breeze, the frosty air. Everything. "Deidara, what is my schedule like today?"

The blonde opened a car door for him. Which car? He didn't know and he didn't care. "Quite full, even if you discount your personal visits."

"Call Ino, cancel everything." The younger intoned, closing his eyes.

Deidara looked over, a bit worried at the behavior but nodded. "Understood." He would have to find time to sneak over to the elder Uchiha. The shit had just hit the fan.

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><p>They were into the goodbye's now. Right after the hour long procession, the tear-jerking speeches and the final farewell from one well and truly distraught Uzumaki Naruto. Way too genuine and dignified a service for such a pompous, traitorous, money-hungry, son of whore harpy named, Haruno Sakura. Or so thought the Uchiha brothers who watched with Sharingans activated from over a hundred meters away atop a semi-skyscraper with an impeccable view.<p>

"If only she had served her purpose _first_." Itachi sighed as he tried to rub away and on-coming migraine. Now he would have to involve third parties in his quest to get the CMHR information, and that always ran risks.

"She was a damn liability, all the way to the end." Sasuke sighed too, feeling generally more overwhelmed than when he had a mission out in a country going through civil war.

Itachi looked over to retort when they both tensed. Within a few seconds Deidara appeared a few meters away from them, hands tucked genially in the pockets of his stately black suit. He looked far from grieving. "Hello, I was wondering if I could have a word with you, Itachi-san." When no one moved, he dipped his head slightly. "Alone."

Sasuke bristled and took a few steps forward before Itachi called his name sharply in warning. "Give me twenty minutes, if you please." It was not a request.

"Aniki," Sasuke looked up in confusion. Itachi asking to speak to anyone alone, especially when he knew he was looking at an assassin, was novel.

Itachi nodded subtly. "Twenty minutes, Otouto." With narrowed eyes and a grim nod, Sasuke took his time walking past Deidara, staring him down and silently promising all kinds of mayhem if his brother was a hair off from the way he left him, before nonchalantly walking over edge of the building. With another sigh Itachi gave the blonde his undivided attention. "Now, you wished to speak to me?"

"Ahhh, yes." Deidara began to wander closer and Itachi turned casually to remain faced to him. "I was there when they revealed the body to Naruto. It was faint, but I detected the exact kind of reptilian vermin that I scented at the Hyuuga soiree. Certainly not a coincidence. Things will be getting stiff around here, very, very, soon; I would hate to be at the wrong end of this." He chuckled wryly and shook his head, an ice blue eye staring into deep black pits.

"Are you implying that we are suspected for her murder?" Itachi asked tersely. It would honestly be the LAST thing he needed.

"No." The other shook his head and smiled. "At least not that I know of. I had time, so I thought I would see you about that deal of ours."

Itachi raised a brow. "And how did you know we were here?"

Another chuckle. "Well I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't."

Itachi turned back to the funeral. There were only a few people there, individuals close to Haruno, and they seemed to be taking their time speaking and grieving. They were also a considerable distance away. "I see." Was all he chose to reply. "And so, you will bring me this snake, dead or alive, in exchange for a _date_. Am I correct?" This simply sounded asinine no matter how many times he said it.

Perhaps it was the mischievous grin or the slight hesitation, but when he gave a benign nod and replied. "That is correct." Itachi didn't believe a fucking word.

The Uchiha felt like he was missing something. It was a feeling that hardly sat well with him. He never missed anything and he wouldn't now. There was no way that this Hibaku Deidara was going to risk his life and spend an exorbitant amount of time tracking down one target in a metropolis with only a scent to go on… for just a date. It was impossible and it sounded shady. He was planning something. What if he tried to hold out half way through the mission to extort Itachi for something else? A bigger prize perhaps? Something Itachi would be forced to give him if he wanted the mission to be completed. The most obvious and likely answer was money. After money, was sex. Sex was not a farfetched theory with the way he had previously eye-raped Itachi's person at the Hyuuga function. Or the way he was currently undressing him with his stare. The horrible part was that Itachi was prepared and fully willing to give his body in exchange for the knowledge that Sasuke was safe and one of Oorochimaru's elusive little minions was dead. Having sex with an attractive foreigner was not an unreasonable price. His prolonged silence was doing nothing to unnerve his company but further solidified Itachi's mind. If he was going to do this, he would do it on his own terms.

The building they were on was silently held by him, so he was aware that the uppermost floors were going through renovation for some well-known fashion label moving in soon. As today was a weekend it was empty. He motioned with his hand for Deidara to follow as he walked to the only door present of the roof. The blonde followed without question and Itachi shot a quick text to his brother telling him to go and they would meet later; he knew his brother would obey. He would have questions, but he would obey. The topmost level had tarp down on the floor and half painted walls as well as lavish desks and cabinetry haphazardly placed and an expensive lounge couch up against the wall. He walked briskly through the echoing halls with nowhere in mind. He began to take off his jacket and threw it over a desk.

"Come." He said turning to the other who only smiled widely and tilted his head in a questioning manner. "This is what you desire, is it not?" Itachi waited for a moment, three buttons undone on his starch one hundred percent cotton, black oxford shirt. It was a totally acceptable outcome if he was wrong. Perhaps the blonde was just full of goodwill.

Deidara stepped closer, and then closer; his lips coming just to Itachi's nose. "I suppose. I'm simply surprised at your…forwardness about it." So Itachi had been right.

"Why waste time?" Itachi said in a softly deadpanned manner. He unbuttoned a fourth, fifth and then sixth button before pulling his shirt out of his pants to continue. Deidara began to shrug out of his jacket and then shirt, enjoying the way Itachi, impassive as he may try to be, followed his movements with fixed onyx eyes. When he was without a shirt, Itachi as well, he crossed the space between then in two quick steps before snatching the man's lips with his own. He gave no quarter and was not gentle, bruising and biting, pulling the pale body into his hard enough to leave impressions and chuckling evilly when he would feel Itachi wince or let slip a groan. A hand came and yanked roughly on half pinned, long yellow hair and the blonde hissed, pulling back momentarily to get catch his breath.

He fixed eyes on the stunned face in front of his. Itachi's whole mouth was red, even a little past his lips and down his chin. He looked a bit like had just rubbed off particularly staining lipstick. And against the strong contrast of his pale skin and dark hair, he looked abused. It was an incredible turn on. Deidara moved suddenly, hoisting him up and pushing him down onto a desk. Itachi exclaimed softly as his back and head hit the hard wood none-too-gently and then Deidara was sucking on his neck with all the power of a worm hole. Itachi thought he could actually feel each capillary bruise under his skin. He swore aloud and grabbed handfuls of blonde hair once again. He barely succeeded in relocating the parasite from the side of his neck to right over his adam's apple and Itachi surprised himself by crying out quite loudly. Crying out in what…he wasn't sure.

Hands and fingers dug into his waist hauling him down the desk, giving him minor lacquered-wood burn on his back, and then turning him over without warning. A hand pulled the tie from his hair and the matte, soot-grey colored locks fell across his back right under his shoulder blades, slid finely over his shoulders to curl softly and rest about his face as if to comfort him. He rested his cheeks in his arms, teeth biting down to keep any more embarrassing noises at bay. His pants and boxers were efficiently unbuckled, unbuttoned, unzipped and then pulled down. He felt so exposed in a way he had never imagined that he accidently distracted himself and was shocked when he felt slick digits push right into him. Slick from what, and from where, he didn't have the time to theorize. It was painful but not too much. He was grateful that his pain threshold was one of his strongest attributes. Itachi counted one push, two pushes, three and some scissoring motions before he was dimly aware that someone else's penis was pushing inside him. It made him feel extremely cheap and scandalous to think of it so clinically.

But those were all the clear-minded thoughts he could conjure before Deidara pulled out crudely and slammed back in. "Ugh!" Itachi heard himself say, and bit his arm again with new resolve. Nothing else, the blonde bastard would get nothing else from him. And then Deidara was leaning over him, hot chest pressed against his back, weight pushing him into the desk, teeth in his shoulder, punishing grip on his waist and equally punishing thrusts sending his stomach into the edge of the desk. _Things_; as that was about as intelligent a noun as Itachi could produce at the moment, were _happening_. Things were running through his body, up his back and down his legs. He was hot and numb of all feeling below his waist except for the very place that Deidara was hammering into. He was in a perpetual state of shock and acceptance. He could feel his control crumbling. He was finding it harder to care what he looked like, what he sounded like, or any image he should try to keep. He was forgetting completely what kept him the aloof and merciless force that was Uchiha Itachi. This was all happening just from sex? He had not imagined that was possible.

But then the blonde seemed to catch onto the reason for Itachi's muffled silence and fisted a good amount of soft mute-black, pulling Itachi away from the safety of his arm. It was the very last straw Itachi could take. "Ah!" was one thrust. "Uh!" was another. "Hm!" happened when he tried to close his mouth. "Hsss!" when he clenched his teeth. He sagged with the knowledge that he couldn't win and dimly recognized that he was panting and moaning like a whore. His naturally soft spoken bass made him sound indecent and lascivious when moaning. Honestly, it was just unbecoming. There was growling/laughter from the gravelly-voiced piston behind him before the other hand snuck around and up to grasp at Itachi's neck and use it as leverage to slam into him even harder.

His orgasm was intense and sideswiping with all the force of an unforeseen battle ram. He came so hard he was not even aware that his arms had pushed himself up, back slamming into the blonde as if to escape from it. Deidara used the hand still full of his hair to push him back onto the desk pitilessly. His lower back spasmed as Deidara gave him no quarter, continuing on just as hard, if not harder to his over sensitized nerves. The blonde was still hitting his prostate. Hard. Relentlessly. It was actually starting to hurt in a way Itachi was not equipped to cope with. He needed this to end. "S-stop." He whispered, fingernails scratching into the decadent wood of the desk. He squirmed trying to dislodge the blonde. He needed rest, a break, sympathy.

His only reply was more growl-like chuckling at his expense. Damn him! But then a hand was back to gripping punishingly on his waist. A chest was pressing Itachi's chest into the desk. He was moaning loudly into Itachi's hair and the back of his neck; his thrusts long, deep, considerably slower and so hard that the desk gave plaintive creaks each time. One particularly breathy rumble happened right outside the brunette's ear and it caused something to coil so quickly in Itachi he wasn't even sure what it was before it was blindsiding him again. His limbs twitched, his mouth gasping and even though Itachi knew his eyes were open he was positive the bright flashing lights, the black oblivion, the neon colors, heart, stars and horseshoes couldn't all be in the room with him. Belatedly he realized he was drooling slightly. And Deidara, although moving slowly, was still going at a steady pace. Blackness seemed to darken the outer edges of his hallucinatory vision and Itachi experienced brief panic at the fact that he might pass out. This was quickly dwarfed by the fact that Deidara wasn't stopping. He couldn't do it; he wouldn't make it another five minutes.

Finally the blonde slowed to a complete stop, panting into Itachi's back. The Uchiha thanked every deity merciful enough to listen. Apparently the blonde had his orgasm as some point; Itachi couldn't rightly give a fuck. As long as It was over. It took a few moments, but then Deidara gave a low groan, and pushed himself up on shaky arms, sliding out the Uchiha with a wet, squishy sound. He licked his lips, Itachi could actually hear him do so, before he whispered against his poor abused ear. "I'll get right on it, Uchiha-sama." With a swish and a few steps the blonde grabbed his clothes and left.

Itachi tried to lift himself off the desk and had to clutch it as his knees gave way and he sank to the floor. He panted against his arms, fingers shaking even against the wood. From down there he could see his own ejaculate sprayed across the desk and was surprised at the amount. It was erotically grotesque. He worried his bottom lip, a new problem presenting itself. He had no idea what he looked like, but if he looked even a tenth of how he felt, how the fuck was he going to keep this from Sasuke? He decided that it was bridge he would have to cross after he remembered how to stand. He also decided not to think about the fact that he had just given his virginity to a foreign assassin, in an empty office building, on a Sunday afternoon. He decided to call it an investment.

* * *

><p>The office room was warm, the heating system working fine, but Naruto couldn't shake his chill. There were, what seemed like countless, black crates full of Sakura's personal belongings. It was only a few hours after the funeral and Naruto was supposed to accept her death, mourn for her, and then move on is some whirlwind of mechanical efficiency. The rest of the world wasn't grieving for Sakura. Business was business; he still had classes and tests and appointments. It seemed like no one cared. So many had showed up to her funeral, but only a handful had honestly cared that she had died at all. It sickened Naruto; depressed him. He wondered if it would be the same for him. He picked up a framed photo; he and Sakura during their prom. They hadn't gone with each other, but the memory was still precious.<p>

Tsunade spoke from the other side of the room, her tone made Naruto sigh. He didn't want any more bad news. She huffed and threw some papers down from Sakura's file cabinet. "Naruto….have you noticed anything?" She tried broaching the topic lightly. She could already tell the subject was going to be sore. Cheerful boy Naruto was, he always wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt. He would be resistant to this bit of ugliness.

"Like what Baa-chan." His voice was weary, heavy and exhausted. It sounded odd from him, the picture of youth.

Tsunade studied him for a moment before discarding the papers and standing right before him. It wouldn't do to tip toe around, she would have to treat this like a Band-Aid. She decided to get right to it. "Her cell phone, PDA, laptop, portable hard drives and all of their chargers are missing."

Naruto frowned, but followed along the thought trail. "And whoever killed her must have taken them."

She nodded slowly and wondered if she could mention the message on the mirror, it had made no sense neither her nor the detectives on the case. "It's not just that. Naruto her bank statements show monetary transaction evenly dispersed and hidden throughout several different accounts under different aliases. If she hadn't had a penchant for moving things around so often, we wouldn't have even known they existed."

Cobalt blue eyes hardened a bit. "So she was finicky with her money, so what?" He was becoming defensive. He probably didn't even realize that his brain had already caught up to the most logical conclusion. His brain and his heart, the two never did move in sync.

Tsunade shook her head. "Naruto, they were transactions well above her pay grade." The younger blonde shook his head and refused to look at Tsunade any longer. She persisted. "I had Shikamaru look into her national identification number, apparently she took a few small, unauthorized trips out of the country at random times. Naruto," She pleaded, needing him to listen to her. He had turned his back to her and was swiftly shaking his head. "I know…I know this may be hard to hear but I fear, that Sakura was corrupt and that may be what got her killed."

"Shut up!" He screamed and whirled on her. "Sakura was NOT corrupt and even if she was, you saying that justifies her being murdered?!"

"Of course not, gaki!" She tried to placate him, slipping in the pet name to hopefully calm him down. They couldn't have him elevate his stress levels much higher than this; it would put a strain on Jiraiya's hard work. "Look, nothing is worth what she went through. I know that and you know that. All I'm saying is that…..we can't ignore the evidence, Naruto." His back was facing her again and his breathing heavy, though Tsunade was willing to bet it came from tears. "I'm going to follow the paper trail, and see where it leads. I'm having her cell records pulled and we're tracking the device. Maybe we can actually get some clues from this, but I doubt we'll get much." Tsunade went to place her hand on his shoulder. "I know you loved her like a sister, but we can't-"

Naruto slapped it off and took a large step away. "Just go." She debated for a moment but decided it was best. He would eventually work it out for himself. He always did.

Naruto wasn't sure when Tsunade actually left the room. He slid down the mountain of crates and clutched the framed photo to his chest. He cried for what felt like the millionth time. His face hurt, his chest hurt, his head hurt and now they wanted him to believe that she was a traitor to Konoha? To ruin even his memories of her? To ruin her legacy? No, he wouldn't believe it until the irrefutable evidence was staring him in the face. He wanted to remember her as he last saw: fun, buoyant, perhaps a bit flighty, but caring and steadfast. Determined. Strong. Intelligent. Kami, she had always been so intelligent and loyal. He wouldn't let them ruin those memories. And yet his body shook as the sobs wracked through him and he quailed at the thought that that wasn't necessarily true. That perhaps she hadn't shared the same sense of duty that Naruto had. Perhaps she had always been a bit selfish.

That perhaps… she wasn't really as loyal as he wanted to think.

* * *

><p>This moment was long overdue. Itachi sat poised behind his mammoth sized, obsidian black stone desk. His shoulders where squared and resting against the high back of the black leather chair. His hands were clasped loosely in his lap and his legs crossed. He was angled slightly to the right. But while his outer appearance spoke of a soft unconcerned manner, his inner turmoil boiled into the hyper-intense focus he kept on his guest. He wanted to kill him, Oorochimaru. Why did he not just act out on his desires? Because he was not sure that the snake lord did not have measures against he and his brother that would be enacted upon his death. Primarily, the venom still coursing through Sasuke's veins from the time he spent in the other's evil and tainted clutches. They also had an agreement of sorts, which he swore to upon the honor of his clan. Not that he would not ignore such for his baby brother; he just would rather avoid such, if at all possible.<p>

"Itachi," the pale man gave a mocking bow from his seat. "What is thisss urgent matter that you inssssist I must see you in person for?"

Itachi also politely dipped his head in acknowledgement before regarding the other for a moment. "I want you to stop. The attacks against my brother, I want you to stop them. This is not what we agreed upon."

Oorochimaru tilted his head slightly, curious now. Attacks against little Sasuke? He hadn't 'attacked' him in well over sixteen years. Ah, those had been fun times…but as of now, he certainly hadn't been authorizing any attacks. Oorochimaru waited a moment, wondering if admitting his lack of knowledge would shove Itachi over the edge. The elder Uchiha was the epitome of self-control, but the one time the snake lord had been witness to his unfettered rage, was one not forgotten. And as much as he wanted to get his hands on Itachi, he was smart enough not to force the subject. He would do well to push the elder Uchiha's buttons, but stay far away from his boiling point. To the inexperienced observer, Itachi looked calm and focused, but Oorochimaru could practically smell the bloodlust emanating from him. This must be serious. 'Attacking' Sasuke had always been a 'no no' for this reason exactly. Elsewise he would have been doing it the entire time!

He shook his head slowly and Itachi closed his eyes just as unhurried. "Do not tell me you know nothing of this, Oorochimaru." His soft voice intoned. Not a hint of malice in it. Truly astounding.

The elder squinted. "I haven't authorizssssed any attacks against your preciousss baby brother." He held up his hands and smile jovially. "I'm afraid that thisssss time I am not involved." His gravelly, melodious voice ending in a sing-song manner.

Itachi rose calmly, if not a bit robotically, but still graceful as ever and retrieved something from his cabinet a few paces away. He tossed, in front of Oorochimaru, the headless body of one of his snakes. The head was away somewhere safe, because the head of a snake was always the key. "This is you uninvolved?" He asked pleasantly and retook his seat. He wanted very much to kill this man. Very, very much.

Oorochimaru stared at the snake dumbly. This was indeed him involved. He frowned and picked up the body, not unlike a mother cradling a child. It was a beautiful specimen. Such a waste! He looked back to the Uchiha. "I did not send thissss, but it is no doubt one of my own. I will look into it." He paused. "How did it attack young Ssssasuke?"

Itachi debated giving any details. On one hand if the snake lord honestly didn't know and Itachi refused to tell him, it would fuel him to figure out who was targeting his brother and get the information from them. On the other hand he wanted to see the man's reaction to the information; it would help give him a clue in his sincerity. Itachi's eyes were rarely wrong about a person's sincerity. He was quiet for a few more moments. "It was in his car, when he came out of class. It attempted to strangle him."

A brow rose elegantly from the elder on the other side of the desk. "And Sssasuke cut off its head? Jussst like that?"

Onyx eyes narrowed, but every other nuance about Itachi remained polite. "No, I did that."

"Ah." The man nodded and stroked the cold body of the reptile lovingly. "Sssstill afraid of ssnakessss I sssee." He smiled beatifically. "Big brother had to come and ssssave the day oncccce again?" He laughed and Itachi closed his eyes to begin to count to an unspecified number for inner peace.

"Oorochimaru, I want your word that you will find which one of your subordinates is doing this and you will have it stopped." The elder Uchiha asked with his lids still firmly closed. He didn't think he would be able to hold himself if he saw the mocking face of the pedophile in front of him.

"Hmmm, but of courssse, dear Itachi. I will certainly look into it." The guest stood, still cradling the beheaded snake. "I am asssuming that was all?"

Itachi stood as well and cordially led the man out. "Yes, that was all. My apologies for not offering you tea, but I have much to do and wanted this visit to be short."

Oorochimaru laughed but did not respond as he waltzed to a car waiting for him in the driveway of the Uchiha manor. He stroked the body of the cold reptile. Even though it was a few days dead, he supposed it would do for supper. Now what to do about this new found situation? The more he thought about it, the more he was sure it was Kabuto. The man had a penchant for bouts of unhealthy obsessions that never ended well for his subjects. That brought out another ring of mad laughter from the snake lord. He had a most amusing subject in Kabuto. After a bit of thought he decided he would allow him to continue to harass the littlest Uchiha. Not only was it ever so entertaining, but it would further along the plan anyway.

The slimy bastard probably wouldn't do a damn thing, Itachi surmised after watching the car drive away. This left his only true option, Deidara. Itachi was sure his blood pressure was beyond the roof and yet as he passed a mirror, he stared into his own inexpressive face and wondered how he could feel so much and yet look as if he felt nothing at all. It was a blessing, he surmised after a little reflection. He was just now able to walk without a twinge after yesterday's debauchery. Subsequent that particularly humiliating episode, he had been able to limp around before calling a car home and showering as soon as possible. He'd then called Sasuke to his bedroom a bit later, to show him he was alive and well, and declined to elaborate on just what he and Hibaku had spoken of. Together they worried and planned a bit more on different operations they had open before Sasuke retired. He was glad that he was not usually one for pacing and general agitated movement, like his Otouto was, so it was not suspicious at all that he sat in one spot and did not move.

Still, last night had been a most odd night for him. Despite how tired he had been physically, his mind would not stop replaying details he must have missed during the whirlwind just earlier that day. Like how the silky yellow strands felt heavy against his shoulder when Deidara had been leaning over him. Or the satisfied grunts that had left the assassin's mouth every time he had plowed Itachi forward into the desk. Blushes were not common on the elder Uchiha, but in the dark, alone, he had surely felt one creep on his face and remain there. Even now, he felt his cheeks heat up and was grateful he was once again by himself. He felt sullied. His body, his temple, was touched and corrupted. In some way, Oorochimaru's destruction of his interest in sex had been liberating. He was not able to empathize with the rest of the sex-crazed population of the world that did entirely idiotic things for physical gratification. And yet now, now he felt absolutely ruined. And he wanted it again. Itachi was never one to turn his head from a truth simply because it was not one he liked or wanted. It was a fact, a truism; Uchiha Itachi wanted sex again.

And it was all very unbecoming.

* * *

><p>Honestly, all Naruto wanted was a bit of time, but nothing was waiting for him. Just the day after going through all Sakura's personal affects and he already had a meeting with the Hokage and…Jiraiya, whatever his official title was. Along with his new shadow Deidara, Gaara was accompanying him today. One, because this was Jinchuuriki business and Naruto didn't mind if he learned from it, but also because Gaara insisted that Naruto was "not himself". It was Gaara talk for being worried and Naruto took it in stride. It just didn't make him any less irritable.<p>

The three of them were in the office waiting on the old man. Wide jade eyes were fixed on him, though the redhead had yet to say anything at all. Just when the blonde was swearing he would leave, Tsunade burst through the door followed by the pervert scientist. Jiraiya sighed, carrying a huge folder and waved Naruto over as he began pinning pictures to a board. Naruto had already been through this, so he knew they were heat readings from himself. He was just surprised at the… intensity. "Kid, do you know what the INDO program is?"

Naruto was too caught up looking at the colors he knew were his likeness. "I've heard it in passing. Not too much though."

"It was research left by your parents." Naruto's head snapped to Jiraiya like a spring; this was news. "When they found out you would be a Jinchuuriki, they began to look for ways to ensure you would never have to be….put down, so to speak. They died well before their research was complete. But what they did leave was a base sample called the Inter-Negative Doctrine. It's a chemical that reverses the effects of Jinchuuriki in the blood. The reason why it was so unfinished was because it also effects normal cells. You following?"

Naruto, who was still reeling from it being something his parents worked on, was just barely following. "Yeah, I think so. It reverses Jinchuuriki, basic enough."

"It kills Jinchuuriki, actually. It kills those cells and it also kills good cells." Jiraiya deadpanned. It was a bit exaggerative actually, but he was trying to get his point across. You had to do these things with Naruto.

It did sound a bit monstrous when put that way. The blonde bit his lip. "So…what, I mean, is it being fixed?"

Jiraiya slowly shook his head, his face grave. "Danzo got I approved by the previous CMHR and then the council. We haven't been able to get it overturned since."

"Oh." The blonde was quiet for a moment while Jiraiya waited for it to sink in. When blue eyes fell back on him, he was equally relieved and saddened to see the wary dread within them.

"Danzo doesn't like me much, though I don't know why. I'm guessing he wants me to take this drug, even though it's harmful to me?"

Tsunade spoke from the old man's desk. "He wants to control you, Naruto. That has always been his goal."

The blonde scoffed sarcastically. "Who doesn't, these day?"

Tsunade stiffened. "What?"

Naruto sighed and went back over to his seat to sit. It was best to leave that alone, when Granny got protective of him, she tended to overdo it. "Nothing. So, I'm expected to take this stuff in order to be eligible for the Hokage seat, am I right?" Silence met him. "Well I don't have a succession date so that gives me some time, right?"

Jiraiya looked over to Tsunade as she scrunched her face up. "Your succession has always been informal. Recently, however, I penned you as my successor formally. Should I die tonight, Naruto, you will become Hokage without a shadow of a doubt. Danzo's been pushing the program up since then. He wants you well under his thumb with no surprises."

Naruto's eyes were huge. "I'm-I'm Intended?" He always knew it would happen, but in never failed to set his heart aflutter.

Tsunade nodded slowly. "In a manner, though you don't get that title for another year, if twenty-five is still your goal."

"The point is, Kid," Jiraiya interrupted. "that your parents research was brilliant, but deadly, left where it was. We have to make it so that it is so grossly unnecessary that it can be overruled as excessive when you contest it."

"I'm going to contest it?" Naruto asked, surprised. He had never contested anything, ever. He begged and bargained, but never just outright defiance.

"Your first act as an Intended will be to contest it. We just have to hold out until then." Tsunade nodded. "Shikamaru and Ino have made an absolutely brilliant plan that involves the media, but we can't get there until we get your body under control."

Jiraiya nodded toward the blown up heat signature photos of the gala. "I want you to tell me what you think is causing that reaction. We need to get an understanding of what is making you regress, so to speak."

As Naruto thought upon what he could mean and the answer appeared in his head, a slow but massive blush began to overtake his face. All the occupants of the room, save Jiraiya, were a bit shocked. It was such a rarely seen side of the bustling blonde. The pervert scientist had had a theory but it was good to have it confirmed. What was the likelihood that both captures of the Naruto's heat sigs were around the Uchiha brat?

"Uh," The blonde stammered. "I was being teased by Sasuke and I might have, uh, lost a bit of control of myself."

"Understatement." Was muttered by a redhead.

"Teased how?" Was the pervy sage's merciless question.

Naruto grit his teeth and ducked his head. "He was uh….doing st-stuff to me. Like touching my thigh and stuff." Kami this was embarrassing. Who wanted to admit they couldn't have a normal reaction to some teasing? He had literally begun to turn into a monster!

"Ah, so it is mating behavior." Jiraiya said with a nod that jerked Naruto's head up.

"Mating behavior?"

The sage laughed and avoided the pointed look Tsunade was giving him. Gaara's wide eyes were also fixed with curiosity. "Naruto, naturally because of the genome in you, you are a predator. Did you know this?"

Naruto shook his blonde head no. He couldn't even think of himself as such.

"Well, what do you think happens when you cross paths with someone who's more dominant than you, eh?"

Naruto balked. Dominance? "He's not dominant, he's just an asshole!" Okay, Sasuke was, in fact, more dominant than Naruto. But that was _because_ he was an asshole.

The scientist waved it away. "All the same, he's bringing out mating characteristics that resemble the heat outputs a Jinchuuriki makes when they are losing themselves."

Gaara interjected. "Resemble? Meaning they are not, in fact, the same?"

Jiraiya smiled wide. "No, they aren't!" He stood going back to the board. "When Naruto loses himself to mating instincts, the heat output is the same but the biological makeup of the Jinchuuriki genomes is completely different than say, he was on a blood bath rampage. In fact my research leads me to believe that should Naruto be attacked while submersed in his mating mindset, he would be even more vulnerable than say if he was attacked while perfectly normal and given the chance to change into a defensive mindset." He looked from Gaara back to Naruto. "Kid, do you understand?"

Naruto scrunched his face up. "No, explain it again. Why is it different?" He didn't even really want to be talking about this, but he figured it was important, elsewise Tsunade baa-chan wouldn't have bothered.

Jiraiya tapped his chin for a moment in though. "When you became all flustered when the Uchiha brat is pushing your buttons, what was going through your head?"

Naruto flailed all over again. Jeez, this was embarrassing! "I don't know, old man! Like, I guess, I've had no say in anything. Like, I had to follow him wherever or do whatever he wanted...or something" Naruto was pointedly talking to his shoes.

Jiraiya was actually enjoying his discomfort greatly, but tried not to smirk too lecherously. "Right, well that's perfectly normal. What I'm saying is that if you were attacked while in that mindset, you would naturally seek protection from the Uchiha brat instead of wreaking havoc on the world at large, contrary to what Danzo wants everyone to think. These heat signatures look like you are losing control of yourself to your berserk nature, when it isn't true. You're just getting all hot and heavy from hormones!" At this he laughed heartily, watching his poor god son sink into the chair.

Tsunade vaulted a pen directly into his forehead and went to comfort her protégé. "It's fine Naruto, its natural. We just want you to be aware because your reactions are being used against you, okay?"

The sullen blonde nodded. Natural schmatural, he didn't like that jerk Sasuke and he didn't like that now the jerk's jerky behavior was being used _against_ him. This frickin sucked! He looked up when Jiraiya was suddenly squatting in front of him, a hand on his head.

"I know this sucks kid, but we're going to need to get this whole mess figured out. That whole explanation won't mean shit if I don't have hard evidence to back it up. Do you understand what I'm saying?" When his god son simply looked at him, the elder frowned softly. "We're going to have to experiment and…it's not going to be easy. We need blood samples under the two different conditions. One is easier to get than the other. You'll have to go under electroshock but I'll be there the whole time and you only have to do it once." He paused there and after some time Naruto nodded, resigned. This wasn't his first time at the rodeo. "The next is harder because we need a blood sample from you when you are in your mating mindset."

Blue eyes suddenly got bigger. "What the hell! You want me to get all-all-_dirty_ with the asshole in front of you!"

At this Jiraiya laughed and stood up. "No, we'll be in a different room, but you'll be strapped to a chair that will take blood samples at different times. We just need the Uchiha brat to consent." He looked to Tsunade, who frowned.

"While I can strongly suggest they cooperate, I can't actually make him-"

"It's fine." Naruto interjected, his face scrunching up once again. "He'll do it if I ask him. The asshole's being trying to get into my pants for weeks now."

"Great!" Jiraiya clapped his hands. "Then that's all figured out. We'll do them both on the same day so we won't have a berserk Naruto for too long a period. Hey, kid, you wouldn't happen to know what it is about the Uchiha brat that gets to you? Just for the sake of science…"

Naruto carefully considered the question. He could suppose he was indeed attracted to Sasuke in general, but what actually made him feel like his whole body was buzzing, was "His scent." The blonde answered in a thoughtful daze. "Its something dark, like power and spice. It's deep. He smells like night time in a forest, when you know there is something watching you. I can't describe it; I want to smell it all the time." There was an abrupt sort of silence that brought Naruto back to himself and he thought he might actually pass out from the heat flooding his face. He didn't even want to look at the pervy sage.

"Riiiiight." Jiraiya laughed and pushed the blonde one out the seat and toward the exit. "Go ahead and run before you melt down right here on the floor."

Naruto was about to take what he could and run when Gaara spoke. "Naruto, do you mind if I observe the procedure as well?" The intended Hokage stuck his tongue out but shrugged. Gaara was a good friend so he supposed he didn't care but jeez, that whole thing was going to be awful. Naruto just knew it.

Just as they were leaving Tsunade called. "Call me when you have a date the Uchiha brat is good for. The sooner the better, gaki."

"Yeah, yeah baa-chan. I'll get back to you." He sped the hell out of there, Deidara and Gaara on his heels.

* * *

><p>Dinner was a quiet affair, even though neither Hyuuga was especially solemn over Haruno Sakura's passing. Even Hinata, for all her kind hearted nature, hadn't shed a tear for Sakura that wasn't indirectly aimed toward the grieving Naruto. They ate in the informal dining room of the Hyuuga manor that still held two chandeliers and two wait staff standing approximately ten paces behind both of them.<p>

"You know," Neji started, wiping the corner of his mouth with a linen napkin and glanced up at his cousin with a gleam in his eyes. "Sakura's death is dredging up loads of inconsistencies. And when I say 'loads' I'm alluding to floating assets."

A thin violet eyebrow rose over wide pale eyes. Hinata held up a napkin to her mouth in shock. "You don't say!" She whispered conspiratorially. She loved good gossip only a little less than her cousin.

"Oh yes." He leaned forward with a smirk. "There's even a rumor that a few of the guests that showed up to her funeral weren't there to mourn but to check if she really died before she gave what she owed."

Hinata gasped. "What did she owe?"

Neji leaned back with a slow shake and a wide smile. "Who knows? Apparently she had millions in assets sitting on offshore banks, just appreciating away. No one knows where they came from since they certainly weren't from her salary. The Hokage's having it investigated and it's all very hush-hush so that's all I know. But guess who gets all that money!" He laughed gleefully. Hinata's brows furrowed as she thought. She had never heard a whit about Sakura's parents…or any siblings of any kind. She couldn't imagine who. "Naruto!" Neji laughed out unable to contain himself on the irony of it all. He well remembered how Sakura used to treat the boy in grade school.

"No!" Hinata huffed out with a small laugh of her own. She knew the blonde probably wasn't even thinking about all the money and assets that now belonged to him, but Hinata just couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, there was some justice to it all. Not that she would ever say so out loud. Not even to her cousin.

"Oh yes," Neji was whispering fervently. "Patient little Naruto who dealt with that pink haired harpy destroying his life for ten whole years before she flipped faces after his puberty, now has all her money." He shook his head. "And just because I know he isn't, I'm going to feel satisfied for him. Karma is such a bitch, is it not?"

Hinata daintily sipped from her wine glass. "You know," She said softly, if not a little solemnly to her cousin. "I'm sure she never saw it coming." To which the elder laughed elegantly and sipped from his wine as well.

The two chuckled mirthfully over the scandal; neither caring about the ears of the wait staff. They were paid well for their silence. Besides, both Hyuugas were sure they valued their lives more than some paltry secrets.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN] So the mystery continues! Don't you just hate how they all hate Sakura? Lol! Horrible characters, all of them! Review my lovelies! And I can promise much more prompt updates. I already have an idea for chappie 7 so lets make it happen!**

**Ciao,**


	7. Chapter 7

**[A/N] Woah! So soon? Yes, so soon. This is actually a very SMUTTY chapter. But there will be smuttier chapters to be had so….don't get comfortable. Onward!**  
><strong>Edit: <strong>Completely revised and slightly rewritten.

* * *

><p><strong>Subduing a Fox<strong>

**Chapter Seven**

It was a glorious, snowy morning and breakfast was a tense affair in the Sabaku manor. Gaara sat on a plush cushion at the very end of a long, low sandalwood, lacquered table laden with all the foods of his home country. Three attendants stood at the waiting behind each member, but no one was eating. The red head sat ramrod straight, his finger twirling his sand absently while he glared coldly at his siblings. Such incompetent being who were truly useless to him.

"How." He paused to reign in his anger. He whispered, "Could you have let this go on. For. So. Long. Without me knowing?" Even the chirping birds outside had shut the fuck up so that everyone could hear him.

Temari swallowed audibly before looking at her food. "We had first thought them to be nothing more than rumors! But we made sure to-"

"A rumor about anit-Uchiha factions popping up at home, doesn't strike you as something you should mention when you first hear it?" He hissed. Even his hand was frozen still as sand whizzed around his wrist in a mini vortex. His jade eyes snapped to his elder brother who promptly looked right back to the table. "And you? Have you anything at all intelligent to say for yourself?"

Kankuro wisely chose to shake his head in the negative. The intended Kazekage snarled and imagined that had things been reversed, he would have eaten his siblings at birth. Nothing was said for so long that even the attendants started to fear for their safety. Gaara had not had a fit of rage in quite a few years, but it hadn't been long enough for anyone to have forgotten. "We-" Temari cleared her throat when it failed her. "we are under the impression that it would do us well if we were to make an appearance in Suna, especially you Gaara. We should probably have father's funeral which will make you Kazekage officially."

Gaara stared at his sister and tapped the table with the nail of his middle finger. He did so for nearly four hundred seconds while he thought. Information had been leaked somehow. He didn't doubt it was probably either one or both of the insubordinate and aggressive Suna detectives that he had ordered to return and keep their silence. He decided to suffocate them until death with his sand when he returned. It would be a fitting punishment for their loose mouths. But the most pressing problem were the anti-Uchiha, ergo anti-Konoha factions that were springing up. The evidence from the former Kazekage's assassination, while completely juvenile, was damning. The icing on this idiotic cake was the idea that his siblings had known for weeks and didn't have enough brain cells to rub together to figure keeping silent wasn't a great idea. Imbeciles.

He turned his gaze to his brother now, the larger man cowered appropriately. Gaara needed to go home, punish a few people, solidify his power and assuage his people. He was fairly certain they were only up in arms because they felt obligated to. He decided he would do this after Naruto's examination, he just wished the blonde would hurry. It wouldn't do well to let this go another week.

"Temari," He spoke to Kankuro. "make preparations for a traditional funeral for father. Make it grandiose, as we will-" he cut himself off and chanced a look at his sister. Indeed, she hadn't understood. He sighed. "make it a _large_ gathering, spare no expense and use the city square. We will perform of course and I will have Naruto talk to clear the air." When she nodded, he asked. "Did you get all that?"

"Oh, yes!" She reached for her phone and began making notes.

The red head sighed, released his aggression and began eating. It was a sign that the other two could as well. His mind wandered briefly to pale lavender eyes and facetiously acquiescent smile. He wondered if he should have allowed himself to be talked into giving the Hyuuga his personal cell number. Ah, but what was done, was done. And Naruto had encouraged it. He wondered if he should invite the Hyuuga to Suna for the funeral; Neji could see him do one of the things he loved. He mulled over the thought as he ate his breakfast slowly.

While Gaara chewed he looked neutrally toward his elder siblings, he wondered how it was possible that he still loved the blithering idiots.

* * *

><p>It was evening as Naruto stared at his phone. Deidara was out again, so he was alone in his condo. He had been putting this particular chore off for an entire week now. It had taken Tsunade-baachan yelling at him to bolster his fortitude. He would ask someone else to do it, but he was sure it had to be him or something would go wrong. So he bit his lip, scrolled down to the perfectly normal contact of 'Uchiha Sasuke' that he had not entered into his own phone and pressed the dial button.<p>

It rang once. No-Naruto wasn't even sure the first ring got to complete itself before a very sexy voice was purring, "My, what a wonderful surprise. And what can I do for my future Hokage?"

His body was having the oddest, dichotomous response. His back loosened and curled softly against his bed while his hand and jaw muscles stiffened. "S-Sasuke, uh…how are you?" He finished lamely and grimaced.

There was a brief bout of silence before he returned. "Well, I suppose. I'm going to assume you called for something other than pleasantries?" There was a different quality to his voice now, something assessing.

"Ah, yes." Naruto racked his brain and yet nothing witty or well put together was coming to him. He was never like this! Speaking was his forte! "I…was wondering if you would do a favor for me? Well, it's a big favor…"

The silence was longer this time; Naruto even looked at his phone. "If you are inquiring about my…skills, then may I suggest we not speak over a phone?"

Naruto was at a loss for a moment before the meaning struck him. Sasuke thought Naruto wanted him to assassinate someone! "No! No, not that." He hurried, a nervous laugh following. "No, um, you see I'm having some medical, uh-tests done and I need a volunteer to help me with a certain…aspect."

The teasing tone was back in full force. "That sounds entirely too vague for me to answer on. Might I suggest you elaborate?"

To tell, or not to tell. The blonde debated quickly over it. On one hand, if Sasuke agreed he would be hearing about it eventually and Naruto would rather have all the embarrassment out of the way safely on the other end of a telephone line. On the other hand, Sasuke could refuse and use the knowledge against him; but Naruto was far too trusting an individual. "There's this chemical reaction or something that happens when you are around me and Jiraiya-sensei needs to observe it. I'm not good at science jargon so you'll have to ask him for the specifics." There that wasn't too bad.

"A chemical reaction?" Sasuke's curiosity was piqued. "Hmm, what do you need me to do?"

A flush found Naruto. He still wasn't too sure what they needed to _do_ either. "Uh, I'm guessing we just have to be close to one another, probably uh….touch or something." He raked his hands through his short, blonde hair nervously.

Sasuke, being the savvy individual he was, only had to think for a moment before he was smirking heavily. "This chemical reaction wouldn't happen to be arousal, would it?"

The blonde huffed. "I don't know! Will you help me or not?"

Sasuke laughed just a bit with genuine humor. He could practically see the pout on that pretty tanned face. "Hmm, I think I need a bit more convincing."

"What?" The other looked at his phone in pure frustration. Geez this guy was a jerk. "I don't know what else to tell you. I already told you I'm not good with the-"

"No, not that kind of convincing." There was something about the quality of Sasuke's voice that made Naruto shut up and a tremble work up his bent legs. "I want you to tell me what you're wearing."

The blonde's jaw hung open in unabashed shock. He was being black mailed! Extorted! With-with lewd, phone, naughty-talk! "I-I'm…do I really? This isn't fair!" The injustice of it all!

"Oh? Then would you like to know what I'm wearing? I'll tell you. I'm in sweatpants."

Now, Naruto was a curious creature; it really shouldn't be held against him. "Just sweatpants?" He asked in such an innocent manner that Sasuke laughed again.

"Yep, just sweatpants. I just got out the shower not too long ago." When there was a stunted "Oh." given, he persisted. "And you, what are you wearing?"

"Uh," Naruto took stock of himself. "T-shirt and boxers." He blushed only after the admission. "I was getting ready for bed too. I had a really long day." By the end he was at a whisper.

"And where are you?" The voice was back to pure sex.

"Um, on my bed."

"What a coincidence," Was purred. "I am too. Though I wish I was in your bed, Naruto. Tell me; is there room for me too?"

What a loaded question. Naruto felt the wrong answer could have dire consequences. Was this an invitation? Did he take the literal meaning, the interpreted meaning, or the innuendo? "I…I suppose it is a King size bed, there's lots of space." Ha! An innocuous enough answer to keep everyone happy.

"I see, and would you mind if I slept with you?" was smirked out.

DAMMIT! Naruto fidgeted and huffed and searched for a political answer. "I suppose I don't mind sharing my sleeping space." HAHA! This was his playing field and he would be damned if some arrogant Uchiha would just run one up on him!

"Tell me Naruto, do you masturbate in that bed?" Sasuke almost started laughing before he could get the sentence out.

"WHAT?!" From zero to sixty with this guy! The foul thing! Ugh! "I'm not going to answer that."

"I think you will, if you really want my help."

"You extortionist jerk! You have no morals!" Naruto's whole body felt red, and suddenly he was very hot. He fanned his face with righteous indignation.

"Now, I boast a lot of things, but morals aren't one of them. You'll understand if I recommend you answer the question." When Naruto was silent for just a second in thought, Sasuke added. "Truthfully, mind you."

The blonde bit his bottom lip and contemplated lying, but it really was important that they get Sasuke's help. He didn't know how serious the brunet was that he answer this stupid question. "Fine, yes I have. Are you happy?" He bit out.

"Hmm, and when was the last time." The sound was the slightest bit breathy.

Naruto reminded himself that getting angry would get him nowhere. He decided to answer as clinically and ambiguously as possible. "I don't remember."

"Are you sure? It wasn't recent?"

"Yes, I'm sure." He bit out.

"Then I want you to masturbate right now."

Naruto gasped and floundered, completely forgetting about his resolve. "What! No! I refuse!"

There was a groan of disappointment, or at least the blonde thought it was disappointment. "Why not? It's perfectly natural. I'm doing it right now."

And he was. Sasuke gave a pointed moan while he fisted himself slowly. The Dobe's voice was erotic no matter what mood he was in. It was naturally a higher baritone with a scratchy quality that made the brunet want to wrap his fingers around his throat or fuck him so hard he was good and hoarse all the next day. "No you're not! I don't believe you, you jerk!" Sasuke moaned a bit louder and increased the pace of his right hand. It made a slight squishing sound from lube and his precum. When the blonde heard he yelled, "Aaah! You're sick! You're so sick!" and hung up. Sasuke continued to enjoy himself, mapping many fantasies around Naruto and just his voice and throat alone until he came in copious amounts all over his hands and bare thighs. He had been lying about the sweatpants. After a self-satisfied moan he cleaned himself up and sent a text.

'_I will agree on one condition. My brother is quite…shall we say anal, about these sorts of things so I'm positive he will demand to be present.'_

'_Fine, 3 days from now, city hall at 3.'_ was all he got back.

Sasuke went to sleep satisfied.

* * *

><p>Ino worked on her pricy laptop in her bed. It was late at night and she was naked. Shikamaru snored lightly next to her; for reasons unknown, the man had started coming to Ino's apartment at night under the pretense of just "bumming off of her". The platinum blonde had decided not to question the man, he had odd quirks and as his woman she had decided long ago that they belonged to him and just appreciated them. When they didn't piss her off, of course.<p>

But tonight she was having an awful debate in her head. The New Years would be there in a week and usually she hosted a small bash for Naruto, but with Sakura's recent death…she just didn't know if that would be disrespectful. She had been hosting New Years eve parties for the last five or six years, it was even an event people looked forward to, but….

Sakura's death had really jarred her. While the bubblegum haired girl had always been a bit catty and…well shady, she and Ino had been ride-or-die BFF/rivals. They had done each other's hair, helped each other with homework and boys. Sakura had been the one to set up Ino and Shikamaru and had teased them about wedding plans. They had shared all their secrets…..well, not all of them apparently. Now her former bestie was being accused of being a traitor! Her name would be stricken from all the books of Konoha. History would be written as if she had never even existed. Just the thought of this was shaking her almost as bad as it was shaking Naruto. Sakura wouldn't even be remembered.

She sighed, scrolling through more pages of potential party plans. She just didn't think she would go through with it. It was such a sensitive time and-

A hand wrapped around her waist, startling her a bit. "Why are you still up woman? It's almost midnight and you have a thesis class at seven."

She sighed but acquiesced as the male closed her laptop and put it on the nightstand. "Yeah, I know. I'm thinking about New Years again. I really don't know what's worse; party over a dead Sakura or start the new year dreary. She should be celebrated but with the scandal and stuff." She huffed again and whined. " I just don't know!"

"So ask Naruto." Was the gruff but patient reply. "Just ask him, you know he loved Sakura more than anyone, so if he says it's okay, then it's okay."

Ino hummed in thought as she stared up at her dark ceiling. She had been thinking about it, but she just hadn't wanted to seem insincere when asking. "Yeah, but I just can't stop thinking about it."

Shikamaru grunted. "Troublesome woman, I guess I'll help you with that or you won't get any sleep." While she questioned him he pulled her to face him on her side and hitched her thigh up to his waist while he guided himself in her. Her breath hitched in surprise; she hadn't even noticed he was aroused at all. But Shikamaru was like that sometimes. Honestly, it scared her a little.

He stayed still for a while, just letting her feel him pulse inside. And when she was whining from frustration he moved his hips slowly, sinking his hand into her hair and kissing her completely. He kept one hand behind her knee and groaned at the feel of her nipples flicking against his chest as he moved her. Even though it was a slow affair he rolled his hips so his groin brushed her clit and only allowed miniscule breathing breaks during the kiss. She was overwhelmed and cumming in fifteen minutes.

They both slept well after that.

* * *

><p>Deidara was back to Haruno Sakura's apartment, though he had started there nights ago when he first begun his second mission. There was no longer any trace of reptile but he used it as a base for the map of Konoha he was drawing in his mind. He always had been a visual learner. He would be going west tonight, having exhausted the other directions in methodical order. His quarry was proving to be elusive, and the random snow showers certainly weren't helping, but Deidara was confident he would find something. He had a hunch the target was Uchiha Sasuke, what with the way Itachi was desperate for the reptile to be gone and it didn't seem much could make that man desperate. He could always have the elder use the younger as bait, but that was a last, last resort. Simply because he would have a hell of a time convincing Itachi to go through with it, he was sure.<p>

The West parts of Konoha were far more urban, and while Konoha never really seemed to sleep per say, the West side was always wide awake. The fashion was different, less polished like Central City or suburby like North and East Konoha. It seemed like a community of outcasts, clubbers, druggies, teens, drunks, and sex. So much sex. Sex everywhere. There were obscene things happening every night in this part of the city. He was almost positive his quarry was hiding here somewhere, _here_ being something like a cesspool of the sin of Konoha. Which was why he had saved it for last. He scoured the alleys, avoiding the bass booming clubs because they weren't what he was looking for. He was looking for something out of the way, something off or wrong that no one would find right away, hidden off the beaten path. His gut told him that was where traces of the reptile would be, so he followed his gut. His gut was nearly always right.

At first he missed it, simply because the smell of cigarettes and drugs were enough to fuck up anyone's sense of smell. Compile this with the fact that it was one in the morning; the witching hour for the crazies out on the streets. But as he doubled back he paused in an alley behind a diner; something was decaying. A jump down and a little investigation revealed a girl, not too old, perhaps in her mid-twenties, hidden under snow and some garbage. What was really interesting was her state of being. She was certainly dead, her head just barely hanging on by a strip of tendon and flesh. Her death had been a slow one, if her expression was anything to go by and she had been raped. Now, Deidara was no expert forensic scientist, but he was willing to bet this was the same MO of the reptile. At least the bit with the neck was. He bent down carefully and took a deep sniff, she was a day old at least. He whipped his phone out and took a few pictures for the sake investigating.

Deidara cased the entire building, inside and out, finding other small traces of the reptile. He had certainly been inside the diner, probably for some time before he attacked the girl in the alley way and left her there, covered by garbage and preserved by the cold. He was deranged and dangerous, but that wasn't Deidara's problem. He decided to report in with his temporary boss and made his way over to the Northern parts of Konoha. Both the Uchiha and Hyuugas had manors decently spaced away from each other on either side of North Konoha. He stopped just outside the frosty tree line of the Uchiha manor and sent a messenger. At least he had an excuse to see Itachi again.

Itachi however, was not amused to feel a foreign chakra signature, small though it may be, enter the manor's air space. It fluttered and settled outside his window just as he realized it was a familiar chakra. He went to one of his wide Palladian windows and pushed the doors open to let in a small white bird. He watched it flap into his room and settle on his bed with slight confusion. Why would Deidara send something like- He snapped his face toward the window again, slender eyes wide with spinning tomoe to capture whomever had just jumped onto the ledge of his window. But it was just Deidara, who promptly closed his eye as soon as he saw red, and laughed nervously.

"Eh, no need for such hostilities, Uchiha-sama." He smiled a wide smile that Itachi was just realizing was not all that _un_-creepy. "I'm just coming to fill you up to date." That sounded lascivious.

Itachi narrowed his eyes before stepping back a few steps to allow the stranger within his suite. "How insolent to presume yourself upon me at this hour." Itachi lilted while walking past the corner posts of his bed, across the room to close his laptop on the coffee table and sit in the loveseat facing the window. He looked expectantly at Deidara who was letting his one shown eye rove over the murals on Itachi's ceiling.

He settled his eye back to the other with a bit of an unhinged smile. "Ah, but this is the perfect time for hunting hunters, is it not?" He sauntered over to stand directly in front of Itachi, ignoring personal space boundries and making the other feel just a tad bit uncomfortable with him lording over him. Deidara fished out his phone and took his time accessing his pictures. Finally he handed the sophisticated device to Itachi. "I found this one in the west side. She has the same mode of death as our dear Sakura-san, except she was raped. Funny thing is, her vagina was completely untouched." He shrugged as if this was trivial news. "I can only guess our dear reptile is taking out some aggression felt _for_ your brother _on_ other unsuspecting and unfortunate souls."

Itachi was swiping through the pictures with growing horror. Not so much for the dead girl but for two very different reasons. The first being, he simply could not stomach the thought of this happening to Sasuke. The second being; "This is a diner Sasuke likes to frequent. This uniform, it's the same one, I'm sure. He usually goes there after missions. He's had sex with this particular waitress countless times."

"Ah." Deidara's eye lit up with understanding. "This is so text book it's actually a bit cliché'." He sighed and took back the phone that was offered.

Itachi glared into the fire currently occupying his fireplace. "Indeed." He answered listlessly.

Deidara stared for a moment, still not moving from his over-close position, before he spoke. "I'm sure he's holed up in the west side somewhere. The trick will be sniffing him out before he's onto me."

Itachi was quiet for many more minutes while Deidara stared. He could tell the other was thinking furiously over something. Finally the Uchiha spoke. "I had originally wanted you to catch him somewhere on the street and eliminate him."

A pale brow rose. "And now?"

Endless, narrow black eyes stared into his. "Now, I'm going to give you an address and I want you to kill everyone within the residence of that address."

The brow was now at its highest and a wide smile was retaking its place on Deidara's face. "Everyone?"

"Spare no one." Itachi deadpanned.

"Hmmm," the blonde rubbed at his chin with thoughtful pretense. "Well I suppose I would be willing to renegotiate the terms of our contract." Itachi refrained from rolling his eyes as he could pretty much tell what was coming next. Renegotiate indeed. He stood, forcing the other man back before making his way to his bed, trying hard not to look too eager. The bed was only a scant few feet away when a handful of his hair was snatched up and he was pulled against a hard chest. Deidara whispered into his neck, "Why do you always insist on walking away from me?" He was then tossed on his own bed, and rolled onto his back quickly to keep his eyes on the other. He would rather not have a repeat of how utterly unprepared he was the last time, literally and figuratively. Still, one hand lifted him by the back of his neck until only his knees remained on the bed, his calves curled under him with little to no weight braced upon them. The other settled on his chin. Itachi clutched Deidara's forearm with his left fingernails while his right settled threateningly over the jugular of the blonde, ready to rip out his throat should any moves be made toward his eyes.

Deidara purred with the contact and dragged his nose lovingly down Itachi's in an eskimo kiss. "I will request that I be allowed access to you whenever I choose."

"Whenever you choose, is completely unreasonable."

"Hmm, I guess it is. But you have a problem you want fixed, don't you?"

Itachi seethed quietly and sank his fingernails further into the forearm out of frustration. No retaliation was made, even as blood began to flow down Deidara's tanned skin. "At night. It must be at night."

Blonde hair swished over the Uchiha as the other shook his head in opposition. "No can do, I won't always have my nights off. How about the only stipulation be, that you have to be alone?" He giggled randomly. "That way you can keep it from your baby brother and the rest of the world. It'll be our tiny little secret!"

Itachi sighed as the other nosed his neck, flushing his novice skin. "Very well. I will agree to that. You also must not do me lasting bodily harm."

Deidara pulled back to smile beautifully at Itachi. "Are you saying that what we did last time falls under 'lasting bodily harm'?"

The other looked away and neither confirmed nor denied. The hand at the base of his neck slid up to his scalp and pulled, gently discarding the tie that bound his slate grey locks. His mother had once told him that longer hair suited him, back when he was a child. Before the Uchiha manor had been raided, his family massacred, and young Sasuke stolen. He had kept it past his shoulder blades ever since. He closed his eyes at the memory but they were jarred back open when he was unceremoniously dropped on the bed. His hair fanned around him, catching under him and he rolled slightly on his right forearm to recapture it. A hand grasped his ankle and he was yanked to the edge of the bed. He lit his gaze upon one glass blue eye looking back at him.

The blonde ran his hand over Itachi's clothed torso, up to his collar bone, before grasping the neck line of his plain, long-sleeved black tee and slowly ripping it down the middle. He loved the sound it made when being destroyed. He had always loved the sound of destruction as a whole. Personally, a nice BOOM was the best, but given the circumstance, this would do. Itachi made no moves of contention so he ignored the bared pale skin, and continued on to his next victim. The pants. He grasped the hem above one leg, ripping slowly all the way down the leg, re-grasping when he had to, before he was out of material. He was momentarily distracted by pale feet and the whole view of one slender leg. He hadn't noticed last time, but the elder Uchiha was quite…slim. Certainly more so than his younger brother. He refocused to his goal though and soon he had accomplished destroying both pant legs. He stood back up for a moment in thought. Itachi was still laying on the bed, his calves being the only things hanging off, so his groin was still obscured by surviving material from the pants. However, Deidara just couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing….He snapped suddenly when it came to him. "Where are your boxers?" He asked fully expecting an answer. He could not imagine that one such as Itachi…free balled. It seemed entirely too improper.

The Uchiha colored slightly and pointedly looked away. "I have just come from a shower. I was not aware that I must report my sleeping habits to the likes of you."

Deidara ignored all the fluff. "You don't wear boxers when you sleep?"

Itachi's coloring rose again in slight percentage. "It seems like a waste of time spent utilizing them when I would rather wear fresh ones in the morning."

So much time was spent in silence that Itachi grew curious and glanced back over. Deidara was biting his bottom lip and his eye was teary. His body was shaking and when he could stand it no more, he burst out with laughter. Itachi, who could not find the humor in his statement, knew at once he was being made fun of. He turned a fair shade of red, but did not dare move, his lack of clothing were precariously placed at the moment. Deidara was bent over the prone figure, heaving with laughter. "BAHHAAAHAHA! That! That was-so utterly-RIDICULOUS! HAHAA!" He continued on until his diaphragm hurt. He stood back up with a wide sunny smile and a flush. Quite beautiful to the brunet, who would eat nails before he stated as much. Deidara's head lolled to the side as his smile widened. "My, how I'm going to enjoy corrupting you."

That particular statement made Itachi feel something close to nauseas but not really. He wasn't certain what to name it. Butterflies, perhaps? He contemplated in silence.

Deidara was feeling inspired. He grasped a delicate seeming ankle, extending the leg. Itachi's pale skin was something like a blank canvas. He wanted to make a mess of it. He softly bit a toe and the leg twitched. He moved on to suck voraciously at the ankle, leaving a large red whelp. His tongue traveled its way to the back of the knee where he bit with increasing pressure until it bruised. Satisfied his lips made their way up the inner thigh, leaving marks without discretion. A glance at the modestly covered groin showing absolutely no reaction. How odd. He looked up to see black eyes watching him. They were not uninvolved, as there was color on those high cheekbones, but they were somewhat apathetic to the happenings. Deidara hummed and went back to amusing himself. He was content to explore upon his leisure and was absorbed in his own work until a particularly harsh suck at the apex of where Itachi's thigh met the rest of him, garnished a vocal response.

The brunet's back had arched slightly with his moan and he bit his lower lip in consternation. Dammit, it had happened again. He was determined to be as silent as the dead this night. It was too much to hope the blonde hadn't noticed as Deidara zoomed in on that spot, and its surrounding neighbors. A bite towards where the swell of his ass began had him yelping and pushing himself backwards to escape that cruel mouth. He was well and truly hard now, so the paltry covering be damned. The fact that his arms were still clothed and slipping made his attempt at escape quite clumsily executed. Deidara laughed that infuriatingly mocking laugh and suddenly hiked Itachi's knees up to his chest. The Uchiha didn't much care for such an exposed position but before he could voice this to the deranged blonde, he was crying out in wide-eyed, horrified wonder. The blonde had just plunged his mouth…_there_. No not his groin but_ THERE_. He bucked and cried out again, coping rather well with his loss on that front, and renewed his attempts to escape.

Deidara was biting him. He was nipping all around the ring of his perineum. His tongue was sucking on the spasming muscles of his anus and licking just inside his hole. He was not alright with this. He flexed the muscles of his thighs to perhaps flee the grip of those hands but there were too tight and had too much leverage with his knees hitting his shoulders. His head slammed back into the mattress when he felt a wet muscle fully immerse itself in him and he was suddenly very grateful that Sasuke lived in a different wing and often amused himself with loud music. Itachi was sure he was using vocal cords previously unemployed. He clawed at his bedding and doubled his straining efforts against those hands but he was trapped and Deidara was _tongue fucking him_. Hard. How did one manage to tongue fuck another, _hard_? Itachi felt he could answer all manners of questions about the universe. He was mindless, moaning like a cheap whore, fighting futilely to free himself and then suddenly he was double fisting handfuls of yellow hair as that _thing_ crawled through his stomach.

"Uh, uh-ugh! Ahhh-aaaaaaaah," And he was cumming, vacantly starring at his ceiling, wondering why the murals were moving. He had not a conscious thought of how hard his grip was on the head below him, or the breathy, choked quality of his moans. He emptied himself all over his own chest and slumped bonelessly after the tension reached its zenith.

Deidara raised his head, amusement damn near trickling out of his eyeballs, and watched naturally narrow black eyes, stare widely at the ceiling. They fluttered with confusion and Deidara decided that he liked the picture this visual presented him. The ever-so-tidy Uchiha was such a fucking mess right now, that the assassin could barely contain his glee. He let go of those legs and watched them fall together to Itachi's right. He grabbed at Itachi's ass, shuffled forward, unzipping and pulling out his cock before slamming it into the brunet. Itachi made a coughing noise but Deidara pushed him over so that his chest was against the bed. The blonde pulled on the back of the shirt forcing the arms to come together awkwardly at Itachi's back. He grasped the wrists together with is right hand, getting a good grip as his left used the back of Itachi's neck as an anchor. He drilled away at the compliant Uchiha, fucking him at a quick steady pace that filled the room with slapping noises. But that wasn't enough so he switched his left grip from the back of Itachi's neck to the front and hefted the other man up somewhat against him. His right hand pulled those wrists up his back, making the Uchiha cry out in protest of his shoulders.

Itachi was but just a continuous ball of sensations. His legs were still flushed together. The left side of his body was against Deidara. His wrists were higher up his back than should be experienced, but he hardly felt them, because Deidara was fucking him like he was some kind of _criminal_. His dark hair was everywhere; in his mouth, covering his eyes, tangled in both of Deidara's hands and sliding over his chest, shoulders and back every time he was plowed forward with all the momentum of an avalanche. And yet he could feel his own back arching, directing Deidara's cock to that _spot_ the one that had him keening and his toes curling to the point of cramping. He pulled on his arms for the sake of pulling and tried not to think about why his stomach tightened with Deidara's grip.

Deidara sped up, though his body protested. But he could feel it, feel his cum rushing forward ready to fill the man he was taking whole. He groaned and nuzzled the shoulder in front of him before his teeth locked on and he came in long bitter pulls from his body. He groaned loudly delivering long harsh thrusts and milking himself. As he came down from his high, a glance told him that the brunet must have cum again, as thick white spurts, erratically covered his thighs and bed. His hands and mouth released the Uchiha, watching him flop on the bed, yet his hips still rolled lazily and he watched himself slide in and out even as he became flaccid. He pulled out and stared at the abused, fushia colored hole, but nothing happened. A harsh slap on the ass startled the body and Deidara watched a trickle of thick white seep out. He licked his lips in contemplation but sighed and put it off. That was for another day; right now he had to go.

He turned the other over without a care and admired his handy work. Itachi looked well and truly ruined even as he lethargically pulled his arms from under himself. Deidara leaned over him and gripped his chin. Thin, pitch black eyes fluttered open to regard him euphorically. Itachi was still panting slightly, his cheeks a pretty pink. _Damn_ did he look well fucked. "I'll be back for you." Deidara drawled to the other. "Maybe not tomorrow, but soon, have the address then." When he received no reply, just more vacant staring, he tightened his grip and watched elegant brows furrow before he received a tentative nod. He let go and gave a small, denigrating slap to a cheek before taking to the window and disappearing.

Itachi drifted in a corporeal version of Mu for quite some time. He debated simply closing his eyes and succumbing to sleep but while the chances of Sasuke inviting himself into Itachi's room uninvited, seeing the state of his brother and then going on a mass murdering, rage fit through Konoha was unlikely, it was still possible. He dragged himself into a sitting position. The muscles of his neck and jawline were tight and no doubt sporting blossoming purple bruises. His ass felt so raw that he tried to negate the fact that he even had an ass to cope. He shuffled in painful, stilted movements to the end of the bed, set his feet down and then stupidly braced his weight in a standing position. He very nearly ate the opulent rug that his bed rested on. He hissed and crawled in an about face back to the bed. Once he was standing again, he took a small eternity to make it to his bathroom.

Itachi ran a bath with an excessive amount of salts and set the temperature high. He then wobbled to the shower to at least rinse the first layer of sex off of him so he wouldn't soak in the shared filth of the night. Sinking into the bath was bitter sweet, but he acclimated to the high temperature and felt his chakra doing its best to restore him. Both he and his brother healed quite quickly; but he was still going to have to wear a turtleneck tomorrow, no doubt. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to dissuade them from tangling. It was nasty business if his hair tangled, once it got about tangling it was never a painless affair and the last time he had had to get his brother involved. He didn't really notice his own movements slowing, as his muscles relaxed. He felt his eyes slip shut but didn't mind, he would simply will them open when he felt to. And soon, in his decadent bathtub which would keep the temperature of the water until it was turned off, Itachi fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Terumi Mei had skeletons so big that they could no longer fit into her closet, and were now spilling into her life. But the Mizukage had known, somehow, that the magnitude of her transgressions weren't just going to go away; they were going to bite her in the ass someday. Her fingers clenched the silk material of her ridiculously expensive kimono, under her dark, low tea table. She regarded her guests with shrewd, annoyed, if not slightly frightened, eyes. Mei was using the term 'guest' lightly, of course.<p>

She was not very deft at hiding her emotions, like some of the other kages; and she wasn't so crazy powerful where she didn't give a damn, like Tsunade. So Mei was pretty sure that even though she was trying her hardest to school her features, the overwhelming power of her anxiety, was showing on her face and body language. Her guest sipped tea demurely before setting the teacup down in a forcibly delicate manner.

"I don't see where you could consider this unbeneficial to you. Oorochimaru-sama agrees to keep your dirty little secrets and in return you sign this legal document granting him non-extraditable amnesty in your country. Win-win, no?" The trollop in a dress was called Tayuya. She had unruly red hair that was beaten into submission and a traditional kimono on that cost more than she was worth, Mei was sure. It hurt to look at it, honestly. With her were two thugs playing the parts of gentlemen, terribly. One was portly with horribly dyed hair and the other looked to be an addict of some sort with a long gaunt face and twitchy behavior. These were who Oorochimaru decided to send to convey his wishes? This was an insult in and of itself. She was the goddamned Mizukage of Kirigakure and he often forgot to act accordingly! Her elaborately painted nails scrunched her kimono further as the trollop slurped noisily from her teacup. Mei would burn the priceless porcelain after this.

"Amnesty of a non-extraditable nature, sounds as if dear Oorochimaru-san is planning to purposefully have need of this."

Tayuya stopped slurping and let her gaze fall heavily, disrespectfully, onto the Mizukage's. "And if he is? I don't really see how that would matter, as you are not in a position to refuse."

The gall! The gall she had to say such things when Mei could drown the girl in her own saliva! "You would do well to remember whom you are speaking to." She hissed in a most dignified manner. No need to get loud with commoners. "I will not have my country warring with another for one man."

The trollop's eyes narrowed at her _precious_ master being called naught but a man. "And would you not be in war if Oorochimaru was to let slip your nasty little three-year-long secret?"

Mei's immediate thought was that it _was not three years! _ She'd had him for no more than two and a half but really, if it ever got out, the technicalities certainly wouldn't matter. She lifted her chin. "Leverage like this will only hold for so long, rest assured." She hissed. "Hand me the damned paper." She motioned with a furious twirl of her finger. She read every word on the page to make sure she was not getting triple crossed and then signed elegantly, her signature on the bottom. The deed was done, and while her soul seemed to have been long sold, her dignity was now the next to go. She tossed the paper rudely at the trollop. "Now leave my lands, and take this message to your snake King; I'll not continue to have him lord over me." It was an empty threat, but the trollop smirked and curtsied incorrectly before gathering her motley troupe and making haste.

Mei closed her eyes and ran her fingers over her temples. It had been a mistake done long ago; buying him, keeping him, loving him….playing with him. Her only consolation was that even though he had been a child at the time, she still wanted him just as much now as she had then so she consoled herself that she wasn't really a pedophile. Not really. But it could never get out, it just never could! That it was her, that she had been the last to have him for years before he had been retrieved by his fearsome guardians…. They would kill her and wage war upon her people. But oh! She still wanted him, she would give up her land if he considered taking her in marriage, but she knew she was already far too old. Although she didn't look it, she had been alive more than five decades than him. She was just a bit younger than Tsunade.

Mei sighed and stood. She would take a bath, take a lover, take some opium and try hard to forget the blight in her past that was Oorochimaru.

* * *

><p>Kakashi pressed a finger to the microphone in his ear, hearing the relay. "The Uchihas have arrived." He announced to the room. He stood behind Tsunade, who conversed with Shizune, Jiraiya and Shikamaru on all potential outcomes from the day's experiment. Hinata stood by and listened intently, learning. Naruto was restlessly perched in a seat just a few feet away, chatting aimlessly with Deidara, Gaara, and Neji as he tried to affect some measure of calm. It absolutely was not working. The stainless steel doors hissed open slowly like a bad movie, admitting entrance to two black-clad figures. Sasuke made a bee-line for Naruto while Itachi sauntered over to the Hokage.<p>

"Hokage-sama, good to see you again. I thank you for allowing my request to be privy to any experiments my brother will take part in. I am just a tad protective of him." He nodded elegantly in his gilded voice, smoothing over any ruffled feathers his hasty exit of their previous meeting may have made.

Tsunade nodded stoutly with a good natured frown on her face. "No problem at all! I completely understand, I'm a bit nervous myself of letting Naruto go through with such an invasive experiment."

"Invasive?" The elder Uchiha queried. He cast his eyes to the blonde who was already fighting a blush against whatever his brother had said that had Deidara and the elder Hyuuga laughing and even the stoic Kazekage shaking his head. "I thought the procedure with Sasuke was harmless enough…" He turned his eyes back to the Hokage.

She, too, was looking fondly at her protégé. "That is only the second part." Her voice was a touch solemn. She stood, garnering the attention of everyone in the room. "Naruto, they are prepping the chamber now. I want you to reconfirm that you are completely alright with the Hyuugas, Uchihas and the Kazekage being witness to the first half of this experiment."

Naruto stood as well, swallowing visibly and wringing his hand. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. He nodded shallowly and looked to the carpeted floor for fortitude. "I am." He looked at Itachi then, no trace of hesitance "Your clans are of the oldest and strongest of Konoha. You should see your future Hokage as he is, and be aware of what will be both your asset and your liability." Cobalt blue eyes roved to pale Hyuuga eyes and then to the triple enforced plexiglass, panoramic window that was shuttered at the moment, but would see right into the experiment chamber. He exhaled and seemed to deflate. "I will be both your weapon and your shield."

It was deathly quiet for a few moments before cool, dry fingers wrapped around Naruto's heated wrists and then entwined themselves in his fingers. He turned toward too-large jade eyes that said everything his desert voice didn't. "You are never alone, Naruto." It was a whispered assurance, loud in the silent room. One that had Sasuke narrowing his eyes and he fought to not rip his blonde's wrist out of the too-friendly gesture. A firm clap on the back from the pervy sage had Naruto sprawling rather violently into Sasuke's chest.

His face heated to magnificent proportions before he spun and leveled a finger at the laughing white haired man. "You did that on purpose you over grown toad!"

"BAHAHAA! You're far too innocent, my boy! Besides, you can prove no such thing."

He narrowed his eyes before suddenly sniffling and turning on some puppy tears. "Baachan!" he whimpered. Jiraiya stopped laughing immediately. Naruto smirked evilly before turning towards Tsunade with another sincere sniffle. "This is already hard enough for me and Jiraiya's just making it-" He didn't even have to finish because a clipboard, who's clipboard, no one could tell, was sailing through the air before landing directly in the scientists forehead.

"Stop being a jerk, Jiraiya!" Tsunade thundered.

Naruto turned away, laughing maliciously into a broad chest. He either didn't notice, or didn't care about the arms wrapped securely around his waist. "That's what you get, perv." He whispered when he was sure Tsunade was back to debating with Shizune and Hinata while Itachi listened politely.

Jiraiya picked himself off the floor and wondered if he would need medical attention. "One day, that's not going to work you spoiled brat!" He whispered just as quietly and brandished a threatening first while holding his forehead and swaying a bit.

Neji shook his head, standing a bit closer than necessary to Gaara. "One would think you would have learned by now, Jiraiya-san. I've seen this happen at least a dozen times now."

Naruto held a posh hand up to his mouth, making an exaggeratedly innocent face and he slitted his eyes towards Neji. "My, Neji, the way you say that makes it seem as if I'm manipulating the situation to cause dear Jiraiya-sensei bodily harm whenever I feel wronged! I would never do that! Isn't that so, my good friend Gaara? You would vouch for me, would you not?"

Gaara answered in with a supremely straight face. "I would vouch for whatever you wanted." Deidara cackled from that.

Naruto waved his hand at Jiraiya. "he he he he, you should probably go get yourself looked at. You know, so you can be useful during the experiment and all." Jiraiya grumbled but ambled off to get Shizune to bandage his forehead, again. It begged the question of why he was _limping_ but Naruto decided to leave that alone. The humor had helped his stomach settle and reminded him that he was with friends. He would do just fine.

About fifteen minutes later found Jiraiya straight faced, and securing strong leather and titanium, chakra defusing binds to his ankles, knees, chest, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck and then forehead. Naruto could not move at all. He tried to regulate his breathing, to keep himself from getting worked up so early in the game. He wasn't claustrophobic, but he could feel the symptoms closing in. "Breathe kid, you'll get through this to live another day." Naruto nodded while Jiraiya inserted three different needles of considerable size, into his arm. The white haired man laughed, "And if that doesn't do it, just think of the fun you'll have with the Uchiha brat in just a few minutes."

The blonde blushed horribly and pointedly refused to look at the window where he was sure everyone had heard Jiraiya. "Shut up you perv and lets just get this over with."

The old man laughed but held up a cylinder of tough rolled up leather. "This is so you don't break your own teeth or bite off your tongue." He put the bit in Naruto's mouth and strapped it around his head. He stood back making sure the needles were hooked to the pumps, all the restraints were in place, the bit was comfortable and finally that Naruto was ready. The blue eyes were nervous, but steady. "Alright, here we go." He gave a steady nod and walked over to the double steel, sliding doors.

Tsunade pressed a button on an extensive panel in the observation room and let Jiraiya back in. She pressed the speaker button and blue eyes flew to meet hers. "Alright gaki, I'm going to tint the windows since it's safer that way and begin the process." He couldn't speak and he couldn't even nod so he just looked steadily at her. Trussed up like that, in a cold steel room with harsh lights and machinery, Naruto looked the image that Tsunade had fought tooth and nail to make sure never happened to him. At least not again. She bit her lip in consideration before speaking. "You're brave for doing this Naruto." And then she cut the speaker and tinted the window.

One harsh exhale later she stepped to the side and Jiraiya took her place. "Shizune keep eyes on his readings. Tsunade, Shikamaru have the contingency plans ready?"

She nodded, "Everyone has been evacuated from the building and the National Guard is on standby, ready to evacuate the city."

Neji spoke in disbelief. "Is that really necessary?"

Next to him Gaara, whose eyes had not left Naruto yet, answered. "Yes. I once killed thirty people completely by accident." He rested his hand against the glass. "They just happened to be there."

Jiraiya whistled. "Well let's hope for the best. I'm beginning." The outer lights dimmed until there were just three spotlights on Naruto. He looked relaxed enough, his eyes closed and his breathing regular. "I'll explain the process." Jiraiya started. "First we begin by agitating his animal sense; the easiest way to do this is with sound." He flicked a few switches and began to turn a dial at an infinitesimal pace, notch by tiny notch. "I've just started a beeping sound; it plays at irregular beats on a frequency we can't hear but he can. I'm going to turn up the intensity until it has him agitated enough where the electro shock won't just outright kill him, but rather bring out the Kyuubi effect."

The spectators watched as soon the blonde began to tick ever so slightly. His hands curled up to fists and then a few seconds later, round blue eyes snapped open to glare at the ceiling. They darted around, presumably with the sound until they began to squint.

"All right, he's ready." Jiraiya looked to Tsunade who was still worrying her lip but gave a firm nod. He looked over to Shizune. "I need you to tell me exactly when he gets to twenty-eight point three percent of btu output. We don't want him hitting thirty. Clear?" She gave a resolute nod and then Jiraiya was looking over to the Hyuugas, Uchihas, the Kazekage and Deidara. Kakashi stood silently in the back. "None of you can interfere no matter what your feelings are on the matter. You have been _allowed_ to see this and you will not jeopardize the results. Is that clear?" When he received affirmative nods then he turned back to the ticking blonde. "Then lets get started."

He uncapped a lever in its downmost position; it resembled the gear shift of a car. Pressing the red button on the side he moved it up five notches abruptly. Immediately Naruto's body canted against the restraints, a loud pained keen heard behind the bit. Hinata gasped and clutched her cousin. Sasuke stepped, if possible, closer to the window and Gaara's jaw tightened.

"That's five-hundred volts, Tsunade take the first batch. Where are we Shizune?"

Tsunade hardened herself and swiftly operated the panel, taking the first batch of blood from the needles in Naruto's arm. "Ten seconds." She called.

"Leveled off at sixteen point six percent!" Shizune called.

When Tsunade called "Done!" Jiraiya pushed it up three more notches. The restraints around Naruto's torso and head snapped as red chakra burst out covering his body. He thrashed, his wild blonde hair hiding his expression while he fought nothing and howled with pain. Hinata was openly crying, her faced turned into her cousin's shoulder. Neji watched transfixed. Both Sasuke and Itachi had activated their Sharingan and observed just what the chakra was doing to protect Naruto's body.

"That's eight-hundred, lets go Tsunade!"

"Six seconds til' the second batch!" She fired back.

"Twenty six point nine and rising!" Shizune cried in alarm. Jiraiya nodded, his hand sweating as he placed his left one of a big black button that would abort the process. When Tsunade gave the sign he pushed the lever up two more notches. The bit broke and a deafening howl filled the room. Large sunbursts of red chakra leapt off Naruto's thrashing body. Restraints were popping left and right. "He's hit the cap and rising!" Shizune cried.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya bellowed. They needed this sample the most!

"Ten seconds!" Her voice was frayed as her eyes darted about. Jiraiya shook his head. If Naruto popped any more restraints the needles wouldn't even be in the take the samples. He kept his left hand ready.

Blarring warning signs began to pop up when Naruto exceeded thirty percent. "He's at thirty two point five and rising!"

"Four seconds!" Tsunade

"You're not going to make it." Was Gaara's soft voice and yet even over the cacophony, everyone heard it. Sasuke was breathing heavy, his eyes tracking everything. Hinata had just fainted and Deidara had his forehead pressed against the glass.

"DONE!" Tsunade shouted and she hadn't even finished before Jiraiya was slamming on the large black button. The currents ceased but Naruto still thrashed for a bit more before simply growling ominously at the room. His red, slit-pupiled eyes were visible. The whisker marks on his face were dark and exaggerated, jagged lines. His lips were lined with black and his fingernails were long black claws. He opened his mouth, jaw dropping, and let loose a roar of rage. His tongue was purple and his teeth were serrated weapons with fiercely long canines. Not unlike a saber tooth tiger.

"He's leveled off at twenty nine point three." Shizune informed, with a relieved breath.

Neji swallowed. "How long are those things supposed to hold him?" He was looking at the few restraints that remained, most of them being around the arm held most secure with needles stuck inside.

Jiraiya sighed heavily and ran a hair through his hair. "They don't need to hold him for long." He stepped back and grinned, walking a few feet to Sasuke before clapping him soundly on the shoulder. "Alright kid, you're up."

Both Uchiha's turned to him in disbelief. "What?" They sounded, one more harsh than the other.

He laughed. "Here's where you go tame the little beast!"

Sasuke looked back at the teeth baring Naruto. The adjective 'little' was not helping him feel any better about this. Itachi clamped his jaw together. He wanted desperately to absolutely forbid it. He would not send his precious Otouto into a den with something that looked more carnivorous than usual, but Sasuke had said he would do it, so it would be shameful if he backed out now. Damn Uchiha pride. It had been the death of more than just a few.

Gaara turned amused and condescending eyes to Sasuke. "We'll understand if you're too…apprehensive. He is quite frightening like that."

Deidara chuckled while Sasuke scowled at the red head. "I don't think it's the baby Uchiha we have to worry about." He sing-songed and giggled again.

Itachi made a very unsophisticated noise with his teeth and turned his head in the opposite direction of Deidara. Sasuke squared his shoulders. "Fine." He said. Itachi's gaze snapped back to his brother, his ponytail picking up and settling on his shoulder. They shared a wordless moment before Itachi sighed and looked back to his future Hokage.

"Keep your Sharingan on until he is no longer a threat."

Sasuke nodded and then Kakashi was directing him out, down the hall a few feet and to the double doors. The silver haired bodyguard chuckled. "This will be interesting. Just do whatever it is you do, Tsunade and Jiraiya will get whatever they need whenever he fits whatever criteria thingy he needs to hit." Sasuke raised a brow at the shoddy explanation but then the doors were opening and suddenly the fact that Naruto was in an aggressive and agitated state, became very real. He swallowed, took a deep breath and stepped in.

Behind the tinted glass Itachi pressed a hand against the pane; he was very nervous. Deidara nonchalantly addled up and took Sasuke's vacated place, his shoe touching Itachi but no other place. The elder breathed deeply and felt himself calm ever so slightly. He chose not to contemplate that.

Blood red eyes were staring so intensely at Sasuke that he was afraid to move. Through the myriad of colors that Sasuke had been able to witness in the dobe's eyes, he hadn't been privy to this particular shade. He decided to name it 'Pissed off'. He kept his Sharingan on and walked closer with slow deliberate steps. The beast growled threateningly and the sound traveled through him, hitting his knees, knocking through his spine and settling in his cock.

Well, that was honestly unexpected.

Suddenly he remembered why he was there. Somewhere under this monstrous, mountain lion looking beast, was a sly vixen that panted like a bitch in heat whenever Sasuke so much as rubbed his tummy. He had to find _that _ Naruto; h_e_ wanted to feel him. He still remembered how Naruto had purred against him, writhing, his wood pressed against the brunette's stomach, and Sasuke's wood pressed unforgivingly into the blonde's counter. He wanted that again. Needed it. So much so he felt his muscles bunch up and tense, his mouth water, his pupils dilate to take in more of everything. He needed to dominate Naruto, and his body knew this too. He felt his fear leave him, seeping out through his exhales. He was confident he could best Naruto in _all_ his stages and he would prove it right now. He licked his lips and stalked closer.

"Something's changed!" Jiraiya called out, giddy. To anyone watching it was plainly evident in the slight shit of Sasuke's stance and the sudden quiet from Naruto.

"Damn." Deidara whistled with crackheaded grin.

"Hmm," Gaara smirked.

Neji woke Hinata up.

"Get ready Tsunade." Jiraiya laughed while he tried to watch monitors and the window at the same time. Naruto had stopped growling. He wasn't compliant quite yet, but he was currently unaggressive and watching Sasuke with interest. "Already his energy output is changing!"

Sasuke sauntered up to Naruto's left, about a foot away from the blonde before circling behind the chair. The blonde attempted to keep his eyes on him almost comically until her re-emerged on his right. They were still blood red, but not quite the shade of 'Pissed off'. Naruto lifted his nose into the air, sniffing loudly and pulling forward in his chair to sniff closer to Sasuke. The brunet pressed closer until he was teasingly just out of touching range. The fox licked his lips, still attempting to pull forward. Sasuke bent until his face was right before the blonde's. He deactivated his Sharingan and touched his nose to Naruto's before stepping back. The blonde whined a cute, disappointed whine that didn't sound all that human at all. He licked his lips again, like he was savoring something.

Sasuke circled back to the left of Naruto and eyed the arm rest. He freed the last strap that kept Naruto's left arm secure and then clicked the brake in the back before lowering it and gaining access. He dragged a hand through blonde hair and fisted it, keeping the fox still with his neck exposed. Like clockwork, the animal purred, tilting slightly to offer more to the dominant. "Naruto." Sasuke spoke, deep and authoritative, but still just breathy enough to make the other squirm. "Be still." He commanded and swore his cock jumped with how quickly the other complied.

"Hmm, good boy." He whispered into a slightly pointed ear. He rewarded the behavior with a long, slow lick from the base of his neck up to the pointed ear. He released the hair and Naruto turned toward him, but Sasuke jerked his chin back where it was using only his index finger. Naruto whined but remained where he was put. "Don't move, I said." There was a whine in apology, hooded maroon colored eyes lowering, but a purple tongue still licked darkened lips as if to savor.

It made Sasuke hungry for nothing that concerned food. The brunet glanced at the machinery hooked up to Naruto's right arm and briefly remembered that they were taking blood samples but that all left when Naruto moved his hips in agitation. Sasuke nearly laughed; the dobe was antsy. He leaned down and ran his tongue over Naruto's lower lip obscenely, sucking on it and biting softly, then not so softly. Naruto wiggled his lower body, but kept his head against chair, his neck exposed and his eyes on Sasuke.

The Uchiha was not yet kissing Naruto though. No, the situation just didn't seem to call for that. But he did remember an interesting tidbit from when they had last kissed. Bringing his index finger to his mouth he ran it harshly over his own incisor, creating a decent cut. Immediately Naruto turned, sniffing and licking his lips in anticipation. Ahhh, then he remembered. Sasuke 'tsked' and used his knuckle so shove the blonde's chin over again. "What did I say?"

Naruto purred and growled and arched and generally conveyed his thoughts on the matter, but remained where he was put obediently. Carefully, Sasuke touched his finger to Naruto's lower lip and smeared the red liquid like lip gloss. The purple tongue was there no sooner, catching the Uchiha's finger and running over his lip thoroughly. Then it was dragged over sharp teeth as if Naruto was trying to suck the very essence of Sasuke off while black eyes watched avidly. Sasuke leaned down and nipped playfully at a tanned neck, sucking in strong pulls and humming against the hot skin. "Good boy." He crooned and set a knee on the chair to rest against Naruto's thigh. A particularly sensitive spot had the fox arching, purring and a clawed hand found purchase in the pale skin of the brunet's back, just above the waistline of Sasuke's black jeans. Neither in the room noticed, all in the observation deck watched as soon, red began leaking but Sasuke didn't seem to feel anything.

"No licking." Sasuke commanded from the back of his throat and flicked Naruto's abused bottom lip with his middle finger. He repainted his blood-like-lip-gloss and enjoyed watching Naruto war with himself. The tongue was constantly moving inside that mouth, but always stopped just short of disobeying. He began to trace the top lip and the outside the mouth, cooing and leering and then rewarded Naruto's hard won restraint by sticking the well and bloody finger down his throat. He shifted his knee over and between Naruto's legs, half covering the blonde with his body, and pressed it against the hard groin. The fox was sucking thoroughly on his finger and when Sasuke removed it he went about systematically capturing every trace of blood around his lips with his long purple tongue.

The claws in Sasuke's back dragged upwards slightly, pulling him in and Sasuke finally felt the sting of broken flesh. He winced and cast a narrow eyed glare at wine colored, hooded peepers. He pushed his knee further into pulsing thing between the fox's legs and lowered his mouth to other's throat. "You've been bad, Naruto. That hurt." But he didn't attempt to remove the claws. Instead his locked his jaw over the exposed jugular.

The fox keened, pulling more until they were flush against each other and humping wantonly at thigh pressed against him. His right arm shook against the restraints wanting desperately to latch onto the dominant male before him.

Sasuke sucked until he was sure the area was bruised before moving over to untouched real estate and doing it again. He kneaded with his teeth until he nearly broke this skin. One hand was full of blonde and the other clamped around the back of Naruto's neck in an iron grip. He pulled back just enough to have the coherent thought of '_Fuck the situation_.' Before he was kissing Naruto as if to let the blonde know that not even his own mouth belonged to him.

In the observation room only Jiraiya was really able to do anything at all except watch with the same fascination that one watches a train wreck. Itachi, in particular, was having a hard time reconciling his sweet, albeit murderous and stoic, baby brother into this sadistic, passionate, lust ridden…thing! "You know," Deidara started conversationally, his glass blue eye just as wide as everyone else's. "this could qualify as porn."

Jiraiya chuckled amusingly. "Amazing isn't it. This data is perfect and I was completely right!" He kept one eyes on his notes and another on the window. "I've been done for a while, folks."

"What?!" Tsunade whipped her face to him in disbelief. "You perverted bastard! When were you going to say something? When they were fucking like rabbits right there on the chair?"

Itachi gasped quietly and turned away as well walking further into the room and sitting down slowly. It wasn't as if he was unaware of his Otouto's sexuality it was just….seeing it, that was the problem. He wondered if he could Mangekyo himself to go back to his previous state of ignorance. Deidara chuckled evilly but didn't look from the window.

Gaara hummed. "I wouldn't mind seeing that. Look, Sasuke's got his hand up Naruto's shirt."

Neji nodded conversationally. "It's only a matter of time now."

Hinata had passed out again, long ago. Tsunade gasped. "Perverts, the lot of you!" She strode over and smacked the speaker, jarring Sasuke and Naruto both. "You're done in there, Uchiha! I'll leave you to unhook Naruto after he calms down."

Sasuke almost wanted to groan 'Aww man!' but instead took his time finishing his kiss and detangling himself from Naruto. It took almost five minutes of Sasuke standing clear on the other side of the room and calling the blonde in his most cold and professional tone for bright blue peepers to finally show. But it was only for a second before the blonde promptly passed out. Sasuke would have walked over to assess him if the door hadn't opened and he was dragged out and away by his dear Aniki.

He had kinda forgot about him.

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><p><strong>[AN] Soooo? What did you think? Review! Shout out to all my detailed reviewers. I love when people use their brains to try and figure stuff out. This is really just one big game of clue kids….with sex. LOL. Until next time!**

**Ciao**


	8. Chapter 8

**[A/N] I know! It's been way too long! I just had a terrible spell of disinterest and writers block. I decided to reread and revise to help me along. Note: I introduce the culture and language of Suna which I have based on Arabic language and middle eastern culture as a whole. LOOSELY based so don't start pointing out differences like they're mistakes. It's called creative license. I've decided to start pulling from different real-time cultures in this fic. Now, onward!**

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><p><strong>Subduing a Fox<strong>

**Chapter Eight**

Gaara was finding it exceedingly difficult to NOT smile at the misfortune of his dear friend. The very day after Naruto's wonderful display of virility, Neji had called and invited them both to brunch. Naruto had declined, stating he wanted to: "disappear into nothingness!" and Gaara had stated they were going, of course this meant Deidara too. Enough said. And so here they were, seated at a posh Central City café that wasted money heating their outdoor furniture in the throes of winter. But it was a sunny day with little breeze so the cold air was stagnant and somewhat comfortable out. Naruto was wearing ridiculously large shades, a seldom seen white turtle neck and slim fitting jeans with white boots. The red head thought he stood out more than usual. This theory was confirmed when none other than Uchiha One and Two were walking by, completely absorbed in their coffee and conversation when like a fucking homing device, the younger Uchiha turned, saw Naruto's blonde head and ducked position and smiled something that came straight from National Geographic. He and Neji had chuckled while Naruto chanted a whispered spell for the power of invisibility. It didn't work.

The elder Uchiha seemed reluctant, but eventually followed when it was obvious the younger could not be deterred. So Sasuke saddled up, cheery with a dash of sinister and greeted his quarry first. "Ah, Uzumaki-san, what a pleasant surprise." When Naruto mumbled a greeting from his turned face, Sasuke dragged his eyes to the other two individuals. "Kazekage-sama, Hyuuga-san." He nodded politely and Itachi piggybacked off his greeting with his own well-placed nod and a sip from his coffee. Both ignored the blonde bodyguard, one by accident, the other, not so much.

"Uchiha-sama, Uchiha-san, how nice to see you both again." Neji returned with a genuine smile. "We were just getting brunch, should you like to join us…"

Sasuke looked as if he could get no giddier. "Yes, thank you, we would." He answered for both of them and Itachi decided to resign himself to it.

"Gaara, I thought you had something sensitive to tell us?" Naruto tried not to whine, but somewhat failed.

"Mmm," The Kazekage made a mumble of assent, his wide jade eyes flitting from face to face as he drank from his tea. It was a bit disconcerting to the others just how long it took him to blink. After a moment he set down his tea, "but I suppose I shall allow the Uchiha to be privy. Perhaps they may be able to help rectify the situation." Naruto opened his mouth to protest but thought better; he should at least wait to hear the suggestion before he shot it down. A strong breeze blew the napkin he had been doodling on past Gaara and off the table. Gaara sat up straighter in his seat and placed both elbows on the table, his hands folded under his chin. "You see, there is a-" but before he could continue, the sand in the heavy bangle around his wrist shot out to intercept a foreign entity moving toward him quickly from his right blind side.

The table froze and Gaara turned slowly to see a waitress trembling, a blade of sand but a centimeter under her chin and in her outstretched arm, the napkin Naruto had been doodling on. Gaara softly took the napkin and eyed the waitress carefully. Quietly he said, "My sand does not attack just anyone within my personal space, it is an extension of my ability to read intentions. So what were yours?" When the woman did nothing but sob quietly the redhead sighed. "Diplomatic immunity does allow me to spill your blood right here on the street." He heard Deidara snicker from somewhere to his left.

"I-I just thought your hair looked pretty." She whispered, tears sliding down her face.

Gaara turned with another sigh and handed Naruto back his napkin. His sand whirled with a flourish, around his neck and then back into the bangle. It made sense if she thought she could sneak and touch his hair while giving back the napkin. Honestly, people wanting touch Gaara's hair happened enough for him to be used to it by now. "As I was saying," he continued on while the waitress fell to the floor in a boneless heap and then dragged herself back into the café. " details of my father's murder have been leaked and thus conclusions leapt to. To keep it short there is a small, but growing, anti-Uchiha faction causing disruption through my people and most importantly, through my military. I cannot have this. I'll be leaving tonight on a red eye and I need you," He looked into Naruto's shades-less, wide blue eyes, "to come and speak on behalf of them," he waved a hand to somewhat shocked Uchihas "and Konoha."

Naruto ran a hand through his blond hair with a mumbled _shit_. "Yeah, sure. That's no problem."

"You do believe we had nothing to do with this?" Itachi asked softly, but earnestly.

Gaara's silence was keenly uncomfortable until he leaned carefully over the table. Sasuke tensed but remained where he was, Sharingan just on the precipice of showing. "If you must know, Uchiha-san," Gaara said lowly, keeping his eyes fixed on slender black ones. "I wish it were you. Then I could thank you face to face. I was going to kill him myself." And for the second time in ten minutes, Itachi was surprised by the Kazekage. The petit redhead sat himself down and waved a hand in a blasé manner. "However, as it is, I can't have my country up in arms over something that may or may not be true."

Naruto sighed but nodded. "Alright I'm in. I have a meeting in an hour or so, but after that I'll have Ino free my schedule."

"Naruto." Gaara intoned. "We will be having my father's funeral so I will have to perform the _Ảnak-sütle Mawt._" His natural tongue slid through the very bones of everyone present.

Naruto smiled. "It's been a while since I've spoken any Sunan. I think I'm quite rusty." He laughed bashfully. Sasuke stared; Sunan was such a breathy language and couple that with one Naruto speaking, it made for a very interesting notion.

"No matter, you know there are two official languages. My question is whether you will perform with me?" Before Naruto could protest he added, "Not the _Ảnak-sütle Mawt_ but the Ả_nak-sütle Selém_. It will solidify Konoha as the ally of Suna during my reign."

"Oh." Naruto tapped his chin in thought. "I haven't seen _Selém_ done before."

"What are these?" Neji inquired.

"Dances." The redhead explained. He raised both hands and sand formed low curvy Sunan characters on each. He lifted his right higher, "The _Ảnak-sütle Mawt_ means the Dance of Death; it is a dance to celebrate the death of a Great One. It commiserates their life and helps their passage onto the next world be a happy one. Failing to do so can bring a curse upon the land. This is usually done when the land is ready to release said Great One and is always followed by the coronation of another Kazekage." He lowered the right and raised the left. "The Ả_nak-sütle Selém _means the Dance of Peace; it was a dance to solidify the peace between tribes but now is only really done on occasion. However the people of Suna have a fondness for Naruto, should he perform the Ả_nak-sütle Selém _with me my people will treat him as though he is my brother." He let the sand fall and whirl back into his bangele. "It will also overshadow the unpleasantness that is this anti-Uchiha debacle."

"Hopefully." Naruto added messing with his hair. His face was a bit pink from Gaara's admissions.

"No, it will." Gaara reaffirmed. "It is well known that I like very few people."

"But Gaara," Naruto whined. "I don't know that one! What if I mess it up!"

The Kazekage dismissed the notion with a hand wave. "Nonsense. We'll watch videos on the flight. You're a natural. Besides," He gave a mischievous smile. "we'll be able to let out our beasts if we dance together. The rest is just a loose guideline."

"You dance?" Neji asked still trying to get around the notion of the blunt Kazekage undulating his body.

"Gaara is the loveliest dancer." Naruto gave the Hyuuga a significant look and then suddenly a lost memory popped into the Hyuuga's mind. Ah! The phone conversation at Kiba's house!

"And you? You dance?" Sasuke had a hungry look as he asked the blonde.

"As well as I do." Gaara answered with a smirk. Naruto pouted at his best friend.

"I would like to see this." Neji said suddenly. "You would not mind if I attended would you? I can only guess you will also be coronated?"

Gaara blinked. "It will be televised but you are welcome to come if you wish."

Sasuke wanted to declare he was going as well, but realized he couldn't because of the Hokage's ban on their travels. He tried a different route. "You said we could help with something?" He asked the Kazekage.

The redhead blinked at him for a moment, his head tilted to the side and Sasuke swore he could see right through him. "Yes, if you were to show your faces, it may help add some sincerity to whatever Naruto says."

The blonde sucked his teeth and turned away but after a moment nodded and sighed. "Yeah, it would help. But only if either of you two know how to look humble."

"Dear Uzumaki-san," Itachi drawled as he set down his coffee that he had been steadily sipping. "it's not the _looking_ humble that's the problem."

Sasuke smirked. "It's the _acting_ humble, where we fuck up."

Itachi pointed a long, pale finger at his Otouto. "Correction; _you_ fuck up. As long as you don't speak, we're fine."

Sasuke sucked his teeth and crossed his legs. "Uchiha aren't meant to be humble."

Itachi picked his coffee back up and avoided a light blue eye. "I am not contesting this fact. However, if we can be of some help to clear our names, I should think we will do whatever we can." He spoke to the Kazekage.

Gaara nodded and turned back to Naruto. "Can you arrange this with Tsunade-sama?"

Naruto sighed in resignation. "Yeah, shouldn't be a problem. She'll probably need you guys to sign something though."

Itachi's eye ticked. He hated signing for unknown variables like future what ifs. "Very well."

"Alright let me make the phone call." Naruto stood and dropped his shades. He bent to pick them up and Sasuke eyed his ass shamelessly as the blonde walked a little down the sidewalk to make the call.

When he sensed eyes on him, Sasuke turned back around to three sets of entertained stares. The fourth was keeping an eye on it's charge. "Aniki," Sasuke smirked to his amused elder brother. "This is going to be interesting."

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><p>Tsunade hung up the phone with an irritated huff. Honestly, the day was never dull with that kid. "Who was that, the brat?" Asked Jiraiya from the desk where he and Shikamaru were going over papers.<p>

"Yeah, there's some anti-Uchiha trouble in Suna so he wanted permission to take the Uchiha brats and settle it." She sat down heavily with a sigh took out a sake bottle. "Whatever. I told him they were his responsibility. Both of them. I'll have Shizune fax the Uchiha some insurance papers in case they think of making a break for it in Suna." The Hokage sneered.

"Doubtful," Shikamaru drolled while swiping through his PDA. "we have most of their money on tag. They move it, we'll know it." He set the device aside and looked up with a thoughtful expression. "Besides that I'm almost eighty-six percent sure they are innocent of the assassination. On top of even that, they have all of their artifacts in the Uchiha compound. You know how Uchiha are about familial ties to their country. They aren't going anywhere."

"Well at least we can count on that." Tsunade said while pouring some sake into a small bowl. She put the bottle back on the desk, but a little too close to the edge. The bottle tipped and prepared to meet the ground. Both Kakashi and Sai watched this, had an internal argument about who was closer, complete with small staring match, before Kakashi sighed and moved to intercept the bottle a hair's breadth from the floor. Upstarts these days make ANBUROOT Captain, think they're the shit and don't listen to their elders anymore. Sai felt the muscles of his mouth twitch but was unfamiliar with the reaction so he catalogued it as a physiological response to working with a superior that didn't leave a bad taste in his mouth, and placed it in the back of his mind for further dissection when he had time to himself.

Jiraiya slapped some papers down. "So it's been decided; the International Conference on Science and Medicine will be held in Konoha this year in February. Shizune is still working out the venue. Think we can get Ino to host? I know this isn't really her cup of tea but she's the best hostess I know off the bat…" He looked pleadingly to Shikamaru and the brunet gave a noncommittal shrug. He had no idea what her reaction would be to an invitation to host what he was sure she would call "a geek fest". Probably somewhere on the same level as a cosplay convention.

"I'll ask."

"Will you have the research compiled into a comprehensive presentation by then? Seems short notice…" Tsunade worried aloud. She was a doctor at heart, more specifically a surgeon, but she had had to abandon her love of scrubbing up and going into surgery for the day to day pace of running Konohagakure. That didn't mean she didn't like to dabble though. And working with Naruto always helped to keep her fresh.

"Eh, it's a close call but if I haul ass I'll get it done in time. The focus is Jinchuuriki this year thanks to my insistence." Jiraiya puffed up his chest. He was pretty known in the science and medicinal community. "The other Jinchuuriki have been invited to talk and share experience. With this I'll unveil my findings and Danzo will be forced to recognize them in front of the intellectual community and the mass public. There shouldn't be any loop holes."

Kakashi sighed. "Hokage-sama, if I may, who is figuring out the security details of having so many Jinchuuriki in one place?"

When there was an awkward silence the grey haired bodyguard sighed once again. Tsunade perked up, "Excellent thinking Kakashi, you're on the job. Sai you are to help and speak to no one outside these walls of what you have heard. Am I clear?"

Said bowed. "Yes." Was all he said, because that was all he had to say. For Sai, orders where absolute.

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><p>Danzo poured tea for his guest in his best china. The cups were shiny black porcelain with depictions of innumerous dragons fighting and consuming each other in brilliant greens, yellows and reds. It was fearsome yet beautiful. A perfect description of his most esteemed guest. The tea was hot, double brewed and without a drop of anything artificial. From what he understood there wasn't anything known on the market that could affect his guest through consumption; he would have to administer it directly through a main artery, preferably the neck or chest. Either way, the tea was safe.<p>

A discreet sniff told Naruto the same thing and so he allowed himself a small sip and a moment to appreciate its delicate flavor.

Danzo gave the customary time to savor tea and then cleared his throat. Bluer than blue eyes settled on him with a good natured smile. He hated this brat. "I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here to speak with me." He paused for Naruto to speculate, but the blonde simply sipped his tea and waited with a smile. "Well its about a matter that, as I understand, is very important to you. I was hoping we could come to some understanding."

Naruto delicately raised a hand to stop Danzo. He set down his tea and stared at the matte black tea table. He took a deep breath and then released it. "Danzo-san, I will not reconsider my answer to your previous offer. I am not in the business of whoring myself out, certainly not for power or perceived safety. I am hoping that we will not revisit this issue?" His voice was still pleasant and he wore a self-depreciating smile upon an apologetic expression while he spoke.

The old man's hand tightened around his cane. "No, dear Naruto-kun, that is not what I called you here for." There was a grateful nod and Danzo prepared to delight in the discomfort he was going to cause the blonde. "It's about your dear friend Haruno Sakura. The traitor. I had decided to have her name stricken from the books, erased from Konoha's history. She will become a nobody and a nothing that never existed." He paused, took a breath and took up his tea cup once again. He watched with a neutral expression as Naruto stared listlessly at his own tea in shock.

"I-" Naruto took a breath and fortified himself. "I thought the council hearing was undecided?" He asked, completely bewildered. At least this had been what Baachan had last told him.

"It was, therefore they turned the decision over to me." That wasn't quite right actually. Danzo had purchased the decision, not able to pass up the opportunity that this could be an avenue to Naruto where others had failed.

Naruto didn't even bother to look up. The old man didn't speak with any particular arrogance in his voice but Naruto knew gloating when he heard it. "And so you want to offer me a deal." He stated, rather than asked. A sense of hopelessness coloring his voice. As if he would already do whatever asked of him; Danzo certainly hoped so.

"That is correct, Naruto-kun." He waited, oh this was much more fun than he had anticipated. All the lovely expressions upon that sun-kissed face. The boy was certainly not cut for any type of emotional subtlety, what with his heart on his sleeve.

"I need time." Naruto suddenly spoke in a rushed manner, bowing and then standing from the table. "I need time before I can hear your offer."

"I understand." Danzo spoke in an unhurried manner as Naruto made to leave. "Because dear Nartuo-kun, you will only have one chance to either accept or deny."

Naruto paused at the door, he turned gave another quick bow and then left. Danzo chuckled lowly before reaching over the table and slowly pulling the tea cup to himself. He turned it until he saw the tiny smudge of where Naruto's lips had been, he lifted the tea cup and drank from the very same spot.

Ah, but it did taste sweeter. Danzo hated sweet things.

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><p>Itachi felt him outside again. He hoped Sasuke was still entertaining their guests in the foyer downstairs and was sufficiently distracted, though that didn't sound like his brother at all. He was glad he had stayed upstairs to finish an email in his chambers; that and something told him the blonde nuisance would show up this night. He rushed, without actually rushing, to the window and met Deidara there with a hand to his torso.<p>

"Not tonight, I'm on my way out to a business dinner with my brother. No, I don't know when I'll be back or if Sasuke will not be wary from this encounter alone." The blonde pouted for a moment, but nodded his assent. Itachi reached over and then produced a piece of folded paper. "Here; the address. Act whenever suits you best but please be somewhat swift. I'll not have my brother acted on like that woman in those photos. It must not ever come to that or so help me I will raze everything and everyone to the very ground. You included." Itachi spoke candidly with a soft monotone and a serious expression.

Deidara swallowed and eyed the paper. He felt that if he took it he would signing his name to something irrevocable and if he failed…..the consequences would be dire. "I'll take it, but I want a kiss."

Itachi huffed elegantly. "I don't have time."

"You have time for a kiss." Deidara insisted making no moves to take the little paper of doom.

Itachi recognized this, eyed the door and then acquiesced. "Fine." He turned back to the blonde and waited.

Deidara was of the mind to move slowly just to piss the elder Uchiha off, but somewhere along the span of a moment, his objective differed. In the seldom times that they kissed, Itachi seemed to simply allow the domination of his mouth, but this time, while Deidara slowly closed his lips over the soft ones of Itachi, he resolved to make the other respond on his own. He didn't rush it, or shove his tongue around. He didn't pull Itachi's hair or grab him in any way at all. He did nothing but move his lips over the brunet's.

Itachi was at first confused. Perhaps this was a precursor to some different sexual act that he had no knowledge of? Perhaps Deidara was waiting for something? It just seemed odd and out of character from the Iwagakuran assassin to be so…docile. He wanted to stop and ask the blonde what he thought he was doing. But he realized that he was a bit too inexperienced to go around pointing fingers at other people's kissing. But was this _how _Deidara kissed? He had never kissed him like this before. What the hell? Well whatever this was, was making him frustrated until finally when a bottom lip dragged over his he snapped and nipped it with his teeth. Deidara yelped softly and pulled back, his hand covering his bruised lip and his wide eye looking at Itachi in surprised accusation.

The brunet colored in steady measures completely embarrassed by his random attack on the other. Why did his body always betray him when around the blonde? But Deidara wasn't saying anything, only looking expectantly for some answers. When Itachi could take the silence no more he shoved the paper at the blonde and closed his window with a snap, forcing Deidara off the ledge to make his own landing several stories below. He pressed his head against the cool window to hopefully stamp his blush down but couldn't afford to waste anymore time.

He had to wrap this dinner up, fax those damn papers and make sure he was packed in time to make the Kazekage's flight.

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><p>Kiba scrambled to get the phone before it stopped ringing, banging his knee and nearly breaking a potted plant. Damn women in his family and their need to push their potted plants on him. "Hello." He answered a bit breathless and gruffer than intended.<p>

"Kiba! Hey, it's Ino."

Kiba smiled. "Hey flower-girl, haven't heard from you in forever. What's up?"

Ino ignored the nickname Kiba hadn't let go since high school. "New Years, Kiba. I wasn't sure if we were gonna have a party this year, ya know…with Sakura's death." There was a pause and Kiba said nothing. He didn't really have a good or bad opinion of Sakura, but he wasn't all that hurt after hearing of her death. "But Naruto said we should. Said she loved parties, especially New Years and we should dedicate it to her. Said it would be a good way to remember her."

"Hmm. Okay." Kiba was still a bit confused. "So we're having a party?"

"Yep! Which is why I called. Think we can have it at your place? I'm gonna keep it kinda intimate so we don't need a big hall or anything."

Kiba smiled, excited. "Sure, no prob. I'm off for a few more months so that sounds great." A thought struck him then. "Oh."

"What?" Ino asked, scared something had come up.

"I'm not decorating anything. So you want it all festive you gotta come over here and do it yourself."

Ino sucked her teeth. "Aww, man Kiba. Really? Can't you ask your sisters? I got three days to plan this and a paper to write."

Kiba frowned and considered asking his sisters. He really didn't want to do that. "Fine Ino. But you're gonna owe me. Big."

"Whatever you want dude. Just make sure she does a good job?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll call you when we're done."

"Awesome. Love ya Kiba!" There went the dial tone.

Kiba scowled at the phone. Ino hadn't changed a damn bit. Useless-ass Shikamaru.

* * *

><p>Gaara waved off another attendant and assessed the Uchiha pair before him. They both looked just the slightest bit nervous and on one hand, they should; they would be standing before thousands of people while millions watched from their homes as Naruto pleaded their innocence. On the other it was <em>Naruto<em> pleading their cases and Gaara firmly believed that he could moonlight as a criminal lawyer with how gilded his tongue was; they really shouldn't be nervous at all. Still, Gaara felt it was important to go over a few concepts once more, in case the crash course during the flight hadn't sunk in. His jade orbs flitted between two pairs of endless black. "It is important that you be humbler versions of yourselves, or at least act the part. You both can do this, yes?" This was a serious question, as Sunans believed that humility was key to earning respect.

Itachi sighed. "I won't have a problem, Sasuke however…"

Sasuke scoffed but his brows were creased a bit more. "I can _act_ humble as long as I don't have to _say_ anything." He hoped. Sometimes his face was way too expressive; he envied his Aniki's control.

"Ha! Purest bullshit I've ever heard." That was Naruto interjecting from his corner where he was whizzing up a tear-jerking plea full of righteous indignation at being falsely accused and stolen from, via Uchiha POV. He required total concentration so Gaara had forbidden anyone from speaking to him, Deidara included, and the blonde was taking that opportunity to nitpick and generally piss off Sasuke. The fact that he didn't really curse too often and had been spouting swears for the past hour, told Gaara that the blonde was nervous too.

Gaara took note of Sasuke's ticking brow and continued on blithely. "But you must also carry yourselves with an imperious air. Those jewels are not just fashion statements, they are a declaration of your standing in Konoha." Both brunets had oval rubies pressed on their forehead just between the brow. Sasuke's hair had been brushed back and little red dots of paint lined over both his eyes brows and two red lines wept from the corners of his eyes down and under his chin. Itachi 's face was largely unpainted but he had thick eyeliner and a circlet of gold. His head was dressed with an expensive and decorative _Keffiyeh_ scarf while even now, the attendants were still dressing his loose hair in gold clasps.

It was important for the both of them to look a certain way. Untouchable, yet innocent. Humble, yet above the common masses. Else-wise it would never work and Gaara would begin his Kazekage career in the middle of a shit storm.

The redhead noticed that Sasuke had a hard time keeping his eyes from the blonde in the corner, and he couldn't fault him. Naruto had always looked stunning in traditional Suna garb. His harem pants were an opaque, bright blue with swirling gold patterns, but they were low riding with cutouts that bared some of the tops of his thighs. His torso was covered in henna Sunan script that crept all the way to his jaw line and down to his fingertips. His tunic was sleeveless and tapered from the waist into two long swathes of fabric that hung to the floor in front and behind him; the same bright blue and gold. Naruto also had a _Keffiyeh _scarf but the claimed he couldn't think with it on so it sat neatly folded with one attendant poised to dress him in it as a moment's notice. Lastly, the only person wearing more gold than Naruto, was Gaara himself. Purposefully of course, as gold was a huge status symbol in Suna. But the blonde's ankles and wrists chimed with each movement and it really wasn't helping the youngest Uchiha's concentration. Gaara school his face to keep from smirking at the complete lack of subtlety.

"You both can take your cue from me, I'll be speaking first. There are little things that will help you seem believable. Don't look into the cameras but keep your head up. Itachi-san you can keep your eyes closed the entire time. Shame is the next greatest motivator after honor and religion. If you look to be fighting off the shame of the situation, it will garner far more sympathy for you both." Gaara stared at the younger of the pair for a moment before calling him abruptly. "Sasuke." When the eyes flitted back to him he finally allowed himself his long overdue smirk. "You can keep your eyes on Naruto while he speaks, it will not harm anything. Just don't get that glazed look in your eyes, you need to seem focused."

The other blushed slightly but nodded and turned away completely. Itachi chuckled, unconsciously pulling at his sleeveless tunic that showed scoops of his waist and hips. He wasn't used to showing any skin in public…like ever. Besides, he had seen his own reflection and thought he looked sickly pale against the warm sand color and the bright gold of his ensemble. At least the _Keffiyeh_ was floor length and covered his arm, and his pants were the long skirt type with copious amounts of fabric. But they were low riding bottoms and the long swathes of fabric hanging from his tunic only covered his belly and back. The very bones of his hips were exposed and showing the beginning dips of his pelvis. Itachi was fighting with himself not to just pull the scarf around to shield his body and thanked the deities for his self-control and excellent poker face. He could literally feel Deidara's stare eating him alive but whenever he chanced a glance, the larger blonde always seemed nonchalant. Not nearly as bad as Sasuke, his poor Otouto. On the plus side Sasuke seemed unfazed with the drastic change in setting or his clothes, but he would assume with Sasuke's current occupation it made sense. Fitting in with his surroundings was a necessity in his line of work. He wore a nearly identical outfit as Itachi but in a deep maroon color, with gold jewelry and henna script tattoos, though he had face paint and no head dress.

An attendant spoke rapid Sunan to Gaara in a low voice Itachi couldn't pick up to translate; he didn't have an absolute command of it, but he knew a fair amount. After a brief moment she spoke up in the Universal language. "We're on in fifteen, please be ready to begin the ceremony. Here is the program: Sabaku no Kankuro-sama will introduce members of the council, next Sabaku no Temari-sama will give the eulogy and introduce Sabaku no Gaara-sama as the next Kazekage-sama, next Kazekage-sama will deliver his speech, next Uzumaki-sama will deliver his speech and the Uchiha-samas will be present, next the Royal Sunan Orchestra will play the national anthem, next Kazekage-sama, Sabaku no Kankuro-sama and Sabaku no Temari-sama will perform the _Ảnak-sütle Mawt_, next Kazekage-sama and Uzumaki-sama will perform the Ả_nak-sütle Selém_ and lastly we will have closing remarks by the head chairman of the council. Afterwards is the festival to celebrate the coronation. Are there any questions?" When there was silence she nodded and waved her clipboard in an enthusiastic manner, "Alright ten minutes until go time!" and left.

Naruto came to stand next to Gaara and the Uchihas while an attendant fixed the _Keffiyeh_ to his hair, another did the same to Gaara. The blonde looked over as if seeing the redhead for the first time. "That's gotta be heavy." He said in dead seriousness looking to the elaborate weave of gold adorned around and over Gaara's chest. The Kazekage didn't even have any sort of top on, only mass henna Sunan script, gold, and his _Keffiyeh_ covering his torso.

He sighed. "It is. And hot."

"Hmm," the blonde was distracted lifting some of the pieces to weigh them. "You plan on dancing in this? Or the piercings?"

Gaara scoffed. "The chest-piece, no; the piercings, yes."

Itachi spoke with the tiniest amount of awe. "I didn't realize you had so many…"

The Kazekage nodded. "I take them out in Konoha; it tends to make people nervous and I can do enough of that on my own." He turned to Naruto, sensing the next question. "And I'm changing out of these to harem pants to dance." The skirts he was wearing now were tightly wrapped, bunched, embroidered fabrics from his waist all the way down his legs and trailed a bit on the ground. Hard enough to walk in a dignified manner and impossible to dance in. Gaara always thought he looked a bit like a mummy in them. He also had on bangles from wrist to elbow and a ring on each finger. In the high dense heat of Suna it got to be mighty uncomfortable to be adorned in gold for so long, but many Kazekages had been uncomfortable for far longer so he was just going to have to suck it up.

Music from the opening ceremony was playing and all headdresses were on. Naruto paced a bit more and fiddled while Gaara spent every moment he could coaching the Uchiha's. Soon they were led through a hallway and the three Konohans watched as Gaara spoke a greeting in Sunan that made the crowd roar with so much noise it was deafening. They were all taken a bit back by the response. An old woman hunched with time but still heavily adorned in enough gold and embroidery to speak of her rank, sidled up next to Naruto. She chuckled at his slackjawed face. "Everyone underestimates this country's opinion of him."

The blonde started and looked to the old woman. "Gaara? Yeah, I thought he was crazy feared…"

She chuckled again and watched the redhead as he spoke suavely in the Universal language but recited different Sunan sayings and proverbs in his own tongue. He looked passionate and beautiful. "He is." The old woman spoke after a pause. "But his open dislike for his father's corruption has always made the people eager for his time to rule. Its like this country is finally taking a breath of fresh air after all the muck and mire of the previous legacy. Now, his power is a bolster for the people. They fear him, but they respect him." She smiled at Naruto and began to hobble in an about face. "I think it will take no time at all before they love him."

Naruto wished to say something to her, ask her, her name, but his cue was already up.

The Uchiha brothers stood to the side quiet as the old lady left and Naruto walked onto the stage. Soon, in just a minute or two, Naruto would announce them and they would go and stand next to him, in a foreign land where they were being accused of the highest form of murder. Sasuke stood with his left hand clutched in his Aniki's right. Itachi let out a long slow breath, most likely to calm himself. He spoke to Sasuke, "Do you have the teleportation jutsu prepared?" Sasuke held up the palm of his right hand where black ink would allow him to clasp his hands together in the ram sign and as long as he and Itachi were touching, he could voodoo them out to safety. A little just in case.

There was a lull in Naruto's speech as the crowd erupted in cheers. They would have to watch this back as they both had no idea what was being said. The time was upon them, Naruto was indicating to them, and just before he called their names Sasuke asked quietly, "Do you think this is karma?"

Itachi held his gaze as attendants kindly ushered them forward. As they emerged into the open he whispered. "Humble, Sasuke." And his face transformed, with pulled brows and lowered lids he kept his hand in Sasuke's as they gave shallow nods in Konoha greetings.

There were some booing; it was sporadic but present.

Gaara stood next to Naruto, who stood next to Sasuke, whose shoulder was against Itachi. They blonde continued to speak and Itachi caught sight of a jumbotron showing the broadcast out of his peripherals. He was shocked by the sheer amount of time spent on a close up of his face, sparing moments only to show Naruto and Gaara and particularly impassioned parts. He supposed it had a lot to do with his being the head of his clan and therefore, responsible. It smarted that he looked so much like a woman from the shoulders up, but he pushed that down to concentrate. He remained vigilant with his humility, though it was getting tiring and he hardly ever used his facial muscles this much, even going so far as to clutch his _Keffiyeh_ to his body when Naruto spoke about the murder. A peek at Sasuke showed his eyes on Naruto, while he frowned and ducked his head every so often. It was good enough; at least he wasn't smirking.

Naruto ended with a Sunan proverb, spoken beautifully in the mother tongue and for a moment it was pin-drop-silent. Then the raucous shouts of the crowd let the Uchihas take a breath of relief that the mission was a success and whatever Naruto had said had worked. As soon as they were backstage Itachi dropped the façade so fast he scared an attendant. He wanted nothing more than to snatch every piece of everything off and take a fucking nap. He was exhausted; his head was the heaviest it had ever been in his life and now that the crisis was over, the heat was getting to him.

"I'm going to change, I know you two would like to as well." Gaara smiled at the brothers. It was a bit surprising as it was the most happiness any had ever seen from the Kazekage in one dose. "I'm glad this worked." He sighed as pulled off his _Keffiyeh_. "I can begin my Kazekage career in peace." He wandered away with Naruto while a brown woman wrapped up in white announced that she would be escorting the Uchiha to get changed and then to their hotel rooms.

* * *

><p>Sasuke was able to learn quite a few things sitting next to the eldest Hyuuga in a posh hotel balcony watching Naruto and Gaara's performance. His brother had retired to his room, understandably exhausted from the day's events. Gaara had procured this viewing balcony for them and as soon as he had changed into light, thin pant with a sleeveless tunic, he had been escorted here. Currently both Naruto and Gaara were in naught but those opaque and decorative harem pants, jewelry, and a string of bells around each ankle. They were dancing in tandem; high kicks and low sweeps with perfect balance on the balls of their feet to the fast paced hand drums, slithering horns and clapping of the audience. Whatever Gaara had said about it being easy seemed like a complete lie, but when Sasuke caught either of their faces, they didn't seem stressed, taxed or even tired. Sasuke watched Naruto's joyous smile as he leapt nimbly, legs opened into a perfect split, before he fell back into place, seeming weightless. He indicated to Gaara laughing and clapping as the redhead spun slowly on one foot with his other poised at his knee and both his hands and faced raised to the sky.<p>

They were amazing feats and while Sasuke had anticipated watching Naruto's athleticism to arouse him, he was surprised at himself, for that was not at the forefront of his mind.

The boy was pure.

The type of pure that took peoples' breath away. He lived for others, and was loved by others because people could almost smell his purity instinctually. It wasn't that he wasn't aware of the world; Sasuke could see that he knew much about the harshness and the evil and the unfairness of life. And yet, the way he gave of himself, passing pieces of soul around in a smile, hoping to make someone else's day better, honestly made Sasuke a little sick. People like Sasuke, so mired in the night and the darkness of life, found people like Naruto naturally a reminder of the inexcusability of their choices, and therefore were repulsive.

"Somehow I thought you would be enjoying this more."

Sasuke had actually briefly forgotten about him, as he had been observing the Kazekage with a single mindedness that made him nearly negligible. "I am enjoying it immensely." Sasuke replied softly, there were two wait-staff a few paces away poised to respond to a command. He would hate to have to kill them because the overheard something they shouldn't.

"Hmm, have you finally seen it?" The perceptive Hyuuga asked. He knew that deflated face the Uchiha wore, had seen it before.

"Seen what?" Sasuke asked with a bit more bark than he meant to.

Neji didn't acknowledge it. "His aura. His innocence. It's off putting to…certain types of people."

Sasuke slid black eyes to his left, the pale gaze of the Hyuuga was still trained on the performance below. Unfortunately, no matter what was said, Sasuke would not be able to kill Neji without one; a huge fight as he was sure Neji was no slough and two; serious repercussions. He was sure the Hyuuga was aware of this as well. He snorted silently and looked back downward, both performers dancing around the stage in a circular motion, interacting with the audience. For a while he was silent. "What types of people would that be, Hyuuga-san?"

Neji was not phased. "Your kind, Uchiha-san. I've seen it before; someone who covets Naruto and then they see his aura and some remaining piece of their humanity is afraid to touch it. Then they slither away." He turned his head to the right ever so slightly look at the stone still and insulted expression looking back at him. "Are you going to slither away?"

Sasuke held his gaze. "You're wrong to think I want the boy for anything long-term."

Neji smiled. "You're wrong to think you'll get anything else."

Sasuke scoffed and looked away. The Hyuuga was both right and wrong. Naruto would fight him tooth and nail before he just acquiesced and crawled into his bed. But the fact remained that Sasuke was sure he could get him into bed, struggle or not. Afterward, when he had conquered his obsession, Sasuke had no idea what would happen. If he would even be satisfied with just one time. Maybe it would take a handful of times, yeah, that was usually how he worked. "We'll see Hyuuga. We will see."

* * *

><p>The room was extravagant, worthy of an Uchiha as a guest, with the only source of light coming from the large open window that looked down on the festivities below. Itachi could just barely see below as his face was pressed into the wall right next to the window, wrists tied together using the roped cord designed to hold the heavy drapes open. Deidara had hooked the tied wrists on the small hook there for the drapes and ordered Itachi to remain still. The brunet was beyond asking himself why he obeyed; partly because he already knew the answer, and partly because he would rather not admit anything to himself right this moment. It could wait until later.<p>

At this point the Uchiha didn't even know how he was still standing. They had snuck off as soon as it seemed certain that his presence wasn't needed and that Naruto was in safe hands. It had been hours now, and while the party/funeral was still in full swing, Itachi felt a peculiar mixture of exhaustion, anxiety and an eternal sense of arousal. He just wished Deidara would finish with him and be done. But the blonde was taking his time, one hand pressing between his shoulder blades, keeping his chest firmly against the wall, the other gripping his hip in his usual bruising fashion. He stared intensely, Itachi could feel it, and seemed to be enjoying just watching and feeling the muscles in his sphincter drag over his cock. It was maddening and no one had cum. Was this some sort of endurance contest? Was he supposed to beg? Itachi deflated with the knowledge that it may very well come to that and at this point he was finding it hard to care.

Absolutely unbecoming.

He wished Deidara would fully hit his prostate instead of lightly passing by it; enough to make a tingle go up his sciatic nerves and his toes press into the carpet, but not enough to make them or curl or make him cum. He had been trained since young to withstand torture and push his endurance limits beyond himself but never in this fashion! He had had no concept of these kinds of feelings even existing let alone being able to train his will to resist it. This was why he was not ashamed to soon find himself whispering "Please," every time Deidara pulled out and groaning pitifully when the deranged blonde would push back in at just the slightest wrong angle. It continued for this way in what felt like forever but was really the span of half an hour or so. Finally Itachi cracked completely. "What do you want?!" He jerked against the blonde and attempted to pull his wrists down, but they were asleep and Deidara's press on his back hadn't waivered in the slightest.

"What can you give me?" Was not the response Itachi had expected.

The brunet turned and bashed his forehead against the wall a few times to distract from the feeling of Deidara now thrusting so shallowly there was an ongoing tug against the ridge on the head of his cock. And then he became dizzy and his knees really didn't hold up. It was both embarrassing and relieving. He was picked up, his wrists remaining tied, and placed in a ….chair? Blearily he eyed the ornate wooded arms of the high back chair. He looked to the sweating, tanned body in front of him, the flushed, pink arousal and then up to an appraising, glass blue eye. What the hell was going on? Had he passed out for a moment? Itachi was coming to the conclusion that he may, or may not be delirious. Interesting. He didn't partake in narcotics, but he was sure this was what being high felt like.

He didn't even protest as Deidara grabbed his knees pulled him down a bit and then placed each knee over an arm of the chair, completely exposing him. Itachi's head lolled back, his hair sticking to his overheated, oversexed, and sweating body. His tied wrists fell between his legs and just happened to cover his unmentionables that Deidara was clearly intending to mention.

Deidara had that look in his eye. Itachi knew it from the last time they had fucked. That look that came right as he had stated _"My, how I'm going to enjoy corrupting you." _Itachi understood from that day, and now Deidara wanted to corrupt him some more. The blonde fell to his knees and licked his lips. "Do you want to come?" He asked pulling his long blonde hair over his shoulder, to the side that always remained hidden.

"Yes." Was Itachi's hoarse whisper. He could tell Deidara desired to hear his voice.

Deidara leaned forward a bit. "Do you want me suck you?"

Even after everything, Itachi still felt his face heat. Here was the corruption, he couldn't help his ignorance. He wanted to look away but something told him not to, so he endured his blush and whispered once again, "Yes."

"For how long?"

It was a logical question with a logical answer that had the worst time leaving Itachi's throat. "Until…I cum." There, he had refused to stutter like some prepubescent school-girl. He would spare himself that much.

Deidara leaned forward more and licked his lips again. He was preparing to pounce. "And do you want me to swallow, or do you want it on my face?"

Itachi really couldn't answer that. Also, if the room got any hotter he would allow himself to pass out. But the blonde took some pity on him, moved his bound wrists up to his hipline and took him whole in his mouth like he had never even heard of a gag reflex. Itachi was coming to the conclusion that Hibaku no Deidara was the epitome of debauchery in all its forms. Itachi found it in himself to moan, to arch even in his awkward position, to clench the muscles in his legs and grab fistfuls of blonde hair pushing Deidara down like there was someplace left for him to go. He writhed so much and so regularly to the others sucking rhythm that he was developing chaff marks. His eyelids were fluttering and his digits twitching. Deidara finally pulled off with a hard suck. "Are you close?"

"Yes." Itachi nearly cried.

"Grip it." Deidara said without mercy. Itachi supposed this was what he got for not having the gall to answer that question. Still he obeyed, using both this hands since they were bound and he sorta had to. The blonde bit the inside of his thigh causing the Uchiha to yelp and thrust into his own fists. "Give it to me." Was whispered into the flesh of his thigh. Itachi gripped himself tightly. He understood the mechanics behind masturbation but had never perfected it on himself. He had stopped shortly after understanding what it was he was doing and had never done it again. Otherwise he would not have survived pure celibacy. The blonde's mouth came back to suck voraciously on the head of his cock and he stroked himself into it. He really was close, but it had been so long since he had handled himself through an orgasm that he was honestly a bit scared and it kept distracting him. "Itachi." The blonde growled and let his teeth just barely slide on the pulsing pink bulb of his head and Itachi's whole body canted as he choked out moans. Ribbons of his semen arced onto Deidara's waiting face, mouth, and hair. Itachi felt himself pulse in both hands, cumming so long and so hard that it almost felt like it wasn't really him.

Deidara seemed inordinately pleased with himself as he situated himself on the chair, a near comatose Itachi in his lap, before he grabbing the decorative spokes on the back of the chair and watching Itachi flail weakly while he fucked him. One hand landed feebly on his chest as if to push him away, while the other reached up to hold the back of the chair as well, searching for some kind of stability. And yet when Deidara felt himself cumming he kissed the brunette silly before locking his jaw around the pulsing flesh in Itachi's neck and moaning loudly. He was still able to hear the very softly spoken "Fuck. Yes." exhaled by Itachi. Deidara glanced down just to be sure, but yes, Itachi was still flaccid. He had cum by the bucket load and there was no way he could have cum again. So why would he be moaning like he did? For someone who didn't like to express anything sexual that wasn't absolutely dragged out of him, this struck the assassin as odd and worth further investigation later.

* * *

><p>Naruto tried not to feel flustered by the attendants wiping the henna off his body. Both he and Gaara had been soaking in special oils with the sole purpose of speeding up the henna process so it could come of quicker. There were both men and women dressed scantily in the bath with them. The redhead was enjoying his discomfort, he could tell by the slight pulling of his lips. "You're almost done. Stop squirming."<p>

"I'm not squirming." Naruto protested. Shifting his head slightly when one female attendant's chest was a little too close as she reached over to grab something. There was a male with Naruto's leg in his lap, softly rubbing the henna off his foot with a cloth. Every now and then the hand not rubbing his foot would stray just a bit up his leg, probably just for …stability, Naruto would tell himself while he tried not to blush into oblivion. There were at least three attendants rubbing on him. Why did Gaara only get one?! Naruto opened his mouth in another attempt to ask but one glance at the smug Kazekage watching him and he shut up.

"We'll be leaving in the morning. You did well, my sister and brother can handle it from here. We'll make it in time to rest before the New Years."

"Yeah, Ino was thinking of having it at Kiba's place this time. I want to dedicate it to Sakura." The blonde clenched his fists and eyed the water. "No matter what they make do to me, I will not forget her." He looked at Gaara. "I don't care if she had some bad parts. We all have some bad parts, Gaara." The boy was tearing up again, but he kept his eyes on the jade ones across from him.

The redhead frowned at that statement. Something sounded fishy. He waved off the attendants and they stepped out of the way while he waded over to his Jinchuuriki senpai. "This is true, Naruto. We do all have some bad parts. But what are they trying to do to you? Who is they?"

Naruto cursed his hastiness and indiscretion. His problems were his own and he would find ways to handle them without bringing other people in. "Nothing really, just….it sounds like the council really is going to strike her from the records." He didn't look at Gaara, because then Gaara would _know _that that wasn't all. That Naruto was honestly considering selling himself for the sake of a woman who had scorned him and may have been using him, but had certainly loved him at least a little. He really did believe that. And if he didn't stand up for her, he could never expect anyone to stand up for him. Because he had bad parts too. Loads of them. But then his chin was being yanked up and wide jade eyes were scrutinizing his very soul. Naruto knew he was in trouble when they narrowed. "Just leave it." He found himself saying, he felt the tears sliding down his face and hoped the steam and water helped disguise them. "Just leave it alone, Gaara."

The Kazekage sighed and pulled the soft spikes of blonde to his chest, thinking nothing of their bodies touching. "For now, Naruto." He felt the head nod.

"For now."

* * *

><p><strong>[AN] Soo? How did you like it? What do you think? Any conjectures? I'd love your feedback. **


	9. Chapter 9

**[A/N] Kudo's to my muse for truly helping me stay inspired. I am oh, so interested in what is going on the head of you lovely readers. How many of you expected the stuff gonna happen in this chapter, hmm? A little more of Naruto's past gets revealed and the masses will get half smut. Hehehee, nothing like a little sexual tension. Anywho, Onward! Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>Subduing a Fox<strong>

**Chapter Nine**

Itachi's first conscious thoughts were; one, he was fucking _freezing_, and two he was moments away from vomiting. His world was shifting and spinning in the most unpleasant of manners, and that was from his prone position on…whatever the hell he was on. Where was he? Body heat at his back helped to usher in a myriad of liberating, exciting and colorful but ultimately unpleasant memories. Itachi realized it was Deidara sleeping half on him the same time he realized he had on no shirt and his pants and boxers were scrunched around his calves. He also had apparently fallen asleep on the balcony of the Inuzuka estate in the middle of fucking winter. Excellent.

Itachi felt too unbearably dreadful to even have the time to be disgusted with himself, and he was fairly certain he wasn't feeling this way from the weather. He reached out, fumbling just a bit, before pulling himself away from Deidara's warmth. The nausea was seriously becoming a problem and the Uchiha refused to vomit randomly like some rookie college kid after their first frat party. He mumbled in misery but ultimately, like every other bodily function belonging to Uchiha Itachi, his rolling stomach acquiesced to his will, and dissipated.

This…... this was all someone's fault, and as he began to attempt to right his clothes and stand, a memory surfaced, both violent and disconcerting.

"_I have something." Gaara smirked out. It was just an hour into the New Year and already the partygoers had filtered out until only Naruto's inner circle was left. Gaara sat next to Naruto, conveniently nestled close to Neji. Ino, Shikamaru, Kiba and Hinata were lounged in another of Kiba's large sofas across from them. The Uchiha were both leaning against the fireplace speaking, each with a drink, while Deidara sat against the bay window a few feet away. But Gaara was looking solely at Naruto. "I designed it specifically for us, for Jinchuuriki." He placed his drink on the coffee table; he was finding that liquor was either a hit or miss with him, with Naruto it was always a miss. There had been a long-ish box under the coffee table that Gaara had put there earlier that day, now he placed it, too, on the table. "Tell me, have any of you ever tried Hookah?" Wide jade eyes were filled with all types of mischief and mayhem as he perused the room, finally landing on innocent baby blues. _

_Naruto shook his head like a deer in headlights. It wasn't that he was so prudish to the thoughts of…narcotics, it was just that he had always known, from a really young age, that there were a limited amount of substances that could really affect him; most of them insanely hard to come-by. Certainly not your friendly neighborhood drugs, so he just tended to ignore their existence altogether. "Is that what that is?" The blonde asked innocently, eyeing the tall elaborately shaped and jeweled piece with two long rope-like attachments. _

"_Dear Kami!" exclaimed a nearly piss-drunk Kiba. "I've never seen such a pimped out hookah before! Dude are those rubies!?" The animal specialist was on his knees staring into the shiny gold surface and even Ino was rubbing across the gems dotting the base of the vase._

"_This is mine, I brought it back with me." Gaara stated quietly and sat back next to Naruto again. "I also brought something else back; look." He held up a clear cube that had some type of chopped looking tobacco inside. However, what was truly suspicious and had everyone's attention were the thin neon purple strings snaked through the brown mulch. _

_Naruto's eyes were the size of dinner plates. "Shit Gaara! Is that even legal?!" The blonde asked, yet he was strangely unable to look away from the haloing effect of the noxious purple light. _

_The Kazekage shrugged. "Like I care. What would Konoha do, arrest me?"_

_Neji snickered. "Is that a no? Can we have it on record that the Kazekage is trying to peddle shit to our Hokage before he can even get in office? There has to some type of law against that."_

_Both Uchiha actually laughed along with the room and Sasuke sauntered over to stand behind Naruto's place on the sofa; he leaned over. "So you gonna do it, or are you scared?" _

_Naruto shook his head a little, glancing up into patient jade, kohl-rimmed eyes. "This looks like something to be scared about. I'm not gonna get hooked am I? Do you even know what this does?"_

_Gaara looked at the little clear cube himself. "Nope. Just found out it was finished yesterday. Totally untested." He turned back to Naruto and smirked. "Wanna test it?"_

_Naruto groaned. "Oh dear Kami, Gaara! No, no I don't want to test it! What if our limbs fall off? How will I be Hokage then? An armless Hokage? I'd be so embarrassed!"_

"_Oh, come on and grow up, little fox." Sasuke taunted. "I'll do it if you do it."_

"_You most certainly will not." Itachi didn't even need to raise his voice above the other drunk individuals in the room. He was only slightly tipsy, but that wouldn't last for long, Uchiha had ridiculously fast metabolisms. "I have no idea what that does, and what if your limbs DO fall off Otouto? Who's going to take care of your limbless, burdeness body? Certainly not I." Okay, perhaps he was a little more drunk than he thought. Sasuke pouted and prepared to plead his case when Deidara laughed from across the room. The blonde was looking out the window, but instantly Itachi's eyes narrowed onto him. "You have something to say?" The brunette challenged._

_The Iwagakuran looked over. "I think you're just scared." He said it with such quiet confidence that the room became silent. Even Sasuke's wide black eyes looked back and forth while the air filled with a tension comparable to the silence right before a school yard fight. _

_Itachi finished his….twelfth? sixteenth? drink and pushed off the wall. "Is that so?" He placed his glass next to the hookah contraption and eyed it. "Very well, I'll take as many pulls as you do," He looked up and spat "bodyguard."_

_Shikamaru, who had been lazing comfortably in his drunkenness, whispered to Ino, "Shit just got reeaaal." _

_It took no time at all before Gaara had everything all set up. The water in the vase almost immediately turned the same ultra violet color, lighting the dim room like some sort of strip club. Gaara smiled holding a hose in each hand, before handing one to Naruto. "Jinchuuriki first. Just breathe in nice and deep Naruto. You're Kyuubi while I'm just Ichibi so you have to take in more than I do, got it?" The blonde nodded in good faith that Gaara wouldn't really feed him something that would make his limbs fall off and the two took the first pulls of the unknown substance. True to his word, Naruto was still inhaling when Gaara had pulled off. Gaara made a hand motion and Naruto held his breath feeling warm and funny tinglies running up his body. He watched Gaara tilt his head back and blow several perfect little smoke rings into the air. _

_When the Kazekage was done he motioned for the other to release his breath and Naruto just let himself exhale slowly, the smoke nearly obscuring his face for a moment, it was that thick and copious. When the smoke cleared everyone was looking at him, ready to freak out should his limbs start to take on an unfortunate molting affect. "Well?" Gaara asked. _

_Naruto gave, perhaps, the longest blink of his life. "Whoa." Was all he could say. _

_It was all downhill from there._

Even though the memories were starting to come back, Itachi was sure he would never be able to say exactly how many pulls he had taken from that gaudy hookah. All he knew was that he matched Deidara, puff for puff and then somehow, after seeing Ino and Shikamaru going at it on the loveseat and hearing suspicious noises from both the kitchen and the bathroom, he had been pulled out onto the balcony, bent over and fucked, nearly to death. This was the absolute last time he partied with state officials. Itachi had never done anything this wild in his whole life. HIS WHOLE LIFE. And he was fairly certain he was the eldest in the room. He blamed the Kazekage; what a terrible influence.

He limped his way back into the main room of Kiba's floor, both shirtless and shoeless. Thank Kami he wasn't asking for any service. He had to avert his sight from what looked like the remnants of an orgy that would put the ancients to shame. He eyed a naked leg, the only body part he could see as the rest of the individual was behind a lazy boy, but it was just the positioning that had Itachi wondering if they needed help….He resolved himself to finding his brother and getting the fuck out before everyone else started to wake up. In the interest of not seeing more than he needed to, Itachi activated his Sharingan and followed his brother's erratic chakra signature into the kitchen.

He would have done an about face had he retained that caliber of motor movements. He opened his eyes once again and shuffled over to kick his brother in the bare ass draped over an equally bare Intended Hokage. Ironically, his brother's pants were also twisted about his calves. "Sasuke!" He hissed, hating every movement he had to make. "Get the hell up, Otouto!" He hissed again. The dark head shot up, looked around, found Itachi and blinked blearily. He just wasn't moving fast enough for Itachi, who was becoming anxious and paranoid, no doubt after effects. "Get up, get up, get up!" He hissed while giving ineffectual kicks to Sasuke's legs. "I need to go, we need to get out of here." Itachi felt around until he found his Kami-blessed cellphone and stumbled out the doorway to call his driver.

Meanwhile Sasuke realized just where, and what he was in. Thank the gods Itachi had left the kitchen, or the area designated as the kitchen since it wasn't really a separate room…. Naruto whined as Sasuke pulled out of him but the brunette was in such shock that he just stared stupidly as the unconscious figure below him. He had absolutely no recollection of what happened last night, but apparently he and Naruto had fucked. The blonde was completely naked and Sasuke was very reluctant to leave him like that. He looked around, found both his black button down and his black undershirt and wrapped them around Naruto's waist. He pulled his pants up just in time to intercept another face-melting glare from his Aniki and stumble out the kitchen, out the house and ultimately out the compound.

Back in the safety of their car Sasuke's brain cells were just starting to rub together. He looked over at his elder brother and his mauled appearance. He had suspiciously placed bruises and his hair was loose, wild and somewhat damp. "Aniki, what the hell happened to you?"

"Shut the fuck up, Sasuke." That could almost be considered yelling and Sasuke was so shocked he thought he might be tearing up, but then realized that was just him yawning and his face was so numb he hadn't felt it.

Consequently, neither Uchiha had either shirts or shoes.

* * *

><p>Gaara knew he was in deep shit when he woke up freezing, hearing a door close and feeling a sudden and horrifying ache in his lower back and ass. Wide panicky eyes rolled around, but all he could see was skin, the floor and some brown material next to him. What had he done? Carefully and slowly, he pushed himself up to figure out just where he was. Apparently he was on Hyuuga Neji, straddling him, to be more specific. He was naked from the waist down, though he had somehow retained his light tan Sunan tunic and one sock, and the both of them were on the floor behind a large lazy boy. Gaara tried not to think too much as he braced his weight on his feet and grasped the lazy boy to help himself into a standing position. All it took was a few steps before he just couldn't do it anymore and slumped back onto his hands and knees. He crawled towards the kitchen, since this was where he sensed Naruto, and silently cursed the Inuzuka for having such large quarters.<p>

He found Naruto on his side, dark clothing tucked around his waist, wide blue eyes staring at nothing until he noticed Gaara crawling toward him. He pushed himself to sit up and winced but remained sitting. "Hey Gaara." He whispered trying to smile, but somehow just not. Gaara didn't speak but crawled right up to Naruto until he was nearly in his lap. He then wrapped his arms around the blonde and tucked his red head into his Jinchuuriki senpai. Naruto was instantly worried, Gaara was never like this.

The Kazekage said nothing but he could feel his own body trembling. He had sex. He had sex before marriage. He had been a virgin and now…. … In his country this was a bad, bad, bad thing. He had been so stupid to indulge in something he had no knowledge of, especially in the company of strangers. Gaara found himself panicking. He clutched Naruto tighter. What was he going to do? "Gaara?"

"I'm ru-ruined, Naruto." He pulled back just enough to look up blue eyes, to convey the severity of the situation. "I am n-no longer pure."

I took a moment, but those same blue eyes widened in understanding. Naruto took in Gaara's lack of clothing, the love-bites and his frazzled, garbled explanation. He pulled the hyperventilating Kazekage back into his chest. "Okay, okay. " He soothed. "Just calm down Gaara, and breathe. I need you to breathe slower."

"Naru-Naruto, I can be killed." He whispered. His muscles so tight and rigid his fingernails were breaking the skin of the Intended Hokage. "This is-is so shameful. I have brought such shame…just like my father." Worse than his father, actually. He could barely even get that out of his mouth, it was so difficult to even think, let alone say. In Suna it was perfectly okay for a Kazekage to drink and smoke and even gamble, but to have sex before marriage? Even his father had managed to uphold that law. How could he have ruined something so sacred in just a few short hours of horrible decision making? He was going to be killed. Beheaded, stoned or buried alive. He would be recorded as the most shameful of failures. His brother and sister may even share his fate.

Naruto gripped his shoulders and pulled him away a bit so that he could look at him. "Gaara calm down. We all did some incredibly stupid shit last night. And you didn't force anyone to smoke, we all did of our own free will. I, for one, know that every single person here will tell you that, no one will blame you. Do you understand that?" When watery sea-foam eyes blinked, and the redhead gave a slow nod, Naruto breathed a little easier. "As for…the other thing….I'm guessing you gave your virginity to Neji?" He was careful to keep his voice very low, but Gaara heard and even as he closed his eyes in shame he nodded his head. "Okay," Naruto continued. "do you remember everything?"

"Yes." He remembered everything.

"Good." Naruto nodded and thought for a moment. "It's possible that Neji might not remember. But even if he did, if you ask him not to say anything, I'm sure he won't. He has plenty of secrets of his own. This doesn't have to leave this room Gaara, do you understand? It could be like this never happened."

The Kazekage looked at Naruto, _really_ looked at him. In the darkest parts of his mind, Gaara knew he was a fuck-up. He had anger issues, was the product of a very unloving, political marriage that ended when his bitter mother died while birthing him. He was born with a life-long defect in his blood; Jinchuuriki. And now, now he had really shown the ignorance of his age by basically giving his virginity to a Konoha clan while high on something he had created, but had no knowledge of. He was such a fuck-up. Gaara felt his breath hitch, the general heaving motions that belonged to sobbing were somewhat foreign to him. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried. He let his heavy head fall back onto Naruto's chest.

Beyond being a fuck-up, Gaara was not much of a liar.

And that's what he would be doing; lying. To his people, his ancestors, and his legacy. He shook his head into Naruto's chest; He simply could not go home and sit in the Kage seat, tainted as he was. It would be like spitting upon every other Kage before him. "I can't. I can't. I can't." He sobbed.

"Gaara. Gaara, calm down. " Naruto was really starting to freak out. He had never, NEVER seen Gaara cry before. Even if his violent and heart wrenching heaving was silent, it seemed loud in the blonde's ear. He wrapped his arms around the slighter man. "Gaara, shhh. Listen to me; okay? I need you to listen very carefully. Are you listening?" Naruto waited for a nod. "Okay. What you've done is a mistake Gaara. The kind that come from being young and stupid and happy and comfortable with your surroundings. You haven't done or made some of the mistakes that men twenty years our senior, have made. Men like your father. You haven't sold your heart, your soul, your land, or your people for money or greed, Gaara. You haven't hurt anyone. You've done nothing but improved on your weaknesses; you're a good person. You are not a shame." He pulled the redhead back and held Gaara's face in his hands. "Do you hear me? You made an honest and young mistake. You are not a shame. Some people won't understand that, and some will. I know you don't like the idea of keeping secrets from your people, Gaara. I know you, you don't like secrets. But maybe, when you're older, you can confess to your people. How does that sound?"

The other thought it over. It was far more appealing than the alternatives. And if Naruto said it was alright, then it was, wasn't it? Naruto's purity transcended even the limits of his body. Gaara could smell the Uchiha on Naruto, could see the markings on his chest and knew the other had to be in the same kind of pain he was, and yet here he was helping the redhead with his problems. Gaara looked back up, into the concerned blue eyes of his best friend. If Naruto could be pure beyond his body, then couldn't Gaara also strive to be worthy of the same? He nodded. "Yes. I will keep this burden until I feel it is the time to confess my sins." The blue eyes smiled but it wasn't just a smile. It was a look of relief from worry, one full of love that spoke the most to Gaara. He closed his own tired and sore jade orbs. Sometimes it was easy to forget just who Naruto was. "What do we do now? Flee, like the Uchiha?"

Gaara's suggestion was serious, but Naruto laughed. "No, we don't get that luxury. For now, let's find our clothes, and then make sure everybody's breathing. And why in the seven hells is it so damn cold in here?"

"Balcony door was open." A voice sounded from the entryway and scared the shit out of both Jinchuuriki. Deidara had been leaning there for….who knew how long, fully dressed and thankfully carrying familiar looking clothes. When both Gaara and Naruto were dressed again Deidara pointed out toward the bathroom. "I think we better separate Inuzuka and Hyuuga before…the other Hyuuga wakes up."

At first this statement was lost on both Jinchuuriki until they made their way to the bathroom and the situation became clear. "Oh shit." Was all Naruto could say. Deaidara looked highly amused and Gaara was stunned silent.

There in the tub were Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba. Both unconscious. Both as naked as the day they were born.

"Neji's gonna kill him." Naruto breathed. He heard Deidara chuckle behind him.

"That's if Neji finds out." Gaara said from right next to him.

"No, Neji's gonna kill him." Neji said from behind them.

Deidara snickered.

* * *

><p>It was just a few days after New Years, but already anybody who was anybody in the STEM industries, was abuzz about the topic and venue for the annual International Conference. Openly debating the Jinchuuriki? Even with their existence predating the written language, it had never occurred to have some sort of international <em>discussion <em>on them_. _Oorochimaru, for his part, perused his brochure and invitation to the conference while mourning his tunnel vision on little Sasuke when he had had the chance to play with little Naruto too. Ah well, such was life. Besides, if he wasn't mistaken, Kabuto had learned a great deal before selling the "_unresponsive_" blonde off to the highest bidder. The entire transaction had, and was still, working to his benefit. Oorochimaru chuckled at that line of logic.

Of course his invitation wasn't really _his_ per say; he was a tier three, world-class, semi-internationally wanted, war criminal that was supposed to be dead. He had many aliases he used with most of them in the weapons research industry. He imagined this invitation was sent to either the alias he used to cure a nerve gas side effect in Yukigakure or the alias that created a better version of said nerve gas in Kumogakure…..Hmm, he wasn't sure. Honestly, he needed to be more appreciative of his monthly stipend from Itachi, it truly was helpful to have a steady income that he _didn't_ have to smuggle three times before laundering it in. Oorochimaru smiled, there was the risk as well, he should be grateful for; because if it ever got out that the Uchiha were harboring such a level of criminal, there wouldn't be anything anyone could do to keep the pretty little heads from rolling. Not even say…the Hokage himself.

Oorochimaru snake eyes glowed as he sank lower in his luxurious loveseat, cackled madly and ripped up the invitation. He would be sure to be in attendance.

* * *

><p>Kiba was kind of glad he had woken up in a bathroom, all things considered, because right after his eyes had opened, the immediate need to vomit had surfaced. It had hardly left since and it was going on three days now. Currently, he was vomiting again. Thank Kami for Naruto; the blonde boy had both saved his life from Neji and had been nursing him back to health off and on. He was there again, rubbing Kiba's tense back as the inu-expert mostly dry heaved into the toilet bowl. Gaara was in the kitchen making tea.<p>

"Geez Kiba, this really hit you hard man." Naruto said softly and flushed the toilet for him as he pulled himself away from the porcelain throne to flop on the floor. "Come on, lets rinse your mouth out so you can have some tea, Gaara says it's a special blend that will settle your stomach."

Kiba groaned. "I don't know man, is it more stuff from Suna?"

Naruto chuckled most inappropriately. "Come on," He helped Kiba stand. "don't let him hear you talking like that. He'll really go out of his way to poison you. This was accidental."

Kiba just groaned as they eventually made their way into his living room. He was very glad he didn't have any work for at least another few weeks. Another worry, one he had been trying to force down, finally crept back up and refused to be banished. He worried his lip during the comfortable silence while the three of them sipped Gaara's tea. "So…" He started, just to break off again in muted embarrassment. Waking up to a room full of people, ass-naked, was just not something you got over quickly. He imagined it was even worse for Hinata, if they way she had quailed under Neji's staunchly disapproving look had been any indication. That with the idea that Naruto was standing there seeing all her worldly goods had sent her right back into unconsciousness.

"So?" Naruto prompted. He knew Kiba needed to talk, it was one of the main reasons he had insisted on staying and helping him recuperate when one of Kiba's sister's could have done so just as well. "You worried about Hinata and Neji?"

The shaggy haired brunet nodded and stared into his tea. Naruto shared a look with Gaara. The Kazekage spoke, "Do you remember what happened?"

"Y-yeah, most of it." Everything was kind of fuzzy, but he could basically see how things had progressed and could fill in the holes in his memory.

"Well," Naruto started. "do you regret it?"

Kiba grimaced. "No, but I've always had a crush on Hinata." He stared into his cup. "It's not me who regrets it. I mean, did you see her face? She looked at me like I had-had—I don't know, tricked her, or raped her or something!" The dog lover sounded close to tears and Gaara felt guilt consume him once again. That night had been such a bad decision, look at how he was affecting people's lives. The Kazekage stared morosely into his tea as well.

Naruto had to figure out how to cheer Kiba up and keep Gaara from relapsing into this idea that he had kicked everyone's puppy. He took a deep breath to fortify himself and put his teacup down. Alright, Kiba first. "Hey, Kiba, you know how Hyuugas are with their marriage laws and whatnot, so she's probably worried about what Neji will do. I don't know why, even I know Neji's not gonna rat her out to the council. He loves her, and wouldn't put her through that. Besides, he's basically in the same boat." With that he glanced over at Gaara, the red head was hiding behind his tea, but he was certainly listening. "Anyway, you know she gets embarrassed, like, super freaking easy, so just give her some time to cool off and apologize. Go-like-over the top apology, with flowers and cake and balloons and puppies and everything. She likes that stuff. You'll be right as rain." He smiled at his friend.

Kiba took a moment to soak this all in and nodded as he began formulating just what he should do. "Yeah, I'll wait a while, but not too long cuz, you know, I don't want her to think I don't care. I really am sorry about it."

"Yeah, I know buddy. Don't beat yourself up though, she decided to join in with everybody else. Hinata's a big girl, and a prospective surgeon, so she went in with prior knowledge that she was going to be altering her mind frame with a narcotic chemical. You can't forget that Kiba. Hinata is not blameless. No one is. No one has a right to point any fingers." Blonde brows furrowed. "At least, I better not hear about any finger pointing."

Kiba laughed at the perceived threat. "Yeah? And what are you gonna do? Jazz at people until they take it back?" The dog-lover started laughing at a pouting Naruto, but the blonde felt better. Mission accomplished.

* * *

><p>Deidara gave a contented sigh as he approached his block in Central City, or rather the block where he shared his residence with Naruto…..whatever. He was well satisfied any way. He had found and observed the address Itachi had given him. He'd begun his planning to execute the very delicate mission and felt he had deserved a reward for a hard night's work; which Itachi paid in full. He had thoroughly enjoyed the still somewhat recovering body, gotten a text from Naruto stating he had left the Inuzuka compound and decided to speed 'home', for all intent and purposes. He was somewhat annoyed that Naruto was moving about the city without him, but he had to remember that the blonde had certainly been doing so before he came along.<p>

Naruto lived in the top floor of the building, but Deidara still preferred the living room window as his entrance, than the door. He hopped right in and began to waltz over to the bathroom when suddenly the light flickered on. "Ah, so I _was _right. " Twin, half lidded, indigo blue eyes made Deidara blink a bit. The eyes shifted a little further down the color spectrum as Naruto's nose twitched at Deidara.

"Uh…." Was all the Iwagakuran could think to say.

"So, how long has this been going on?" The Hokage waved his hands at Deidara leaving it ambiguous enough that Deidara wondered if Naruto truly knew what he was doing or was just playing like he did. "I can smell him on you, you know." Naruto simultaneously killed that dream while walking over and leaning against the doorway Deidara needed to access to get to the bathroom. "Sit." Naruto offered, waving his hands toward the living room furniture.

While Naruto's voice was easy going, that didn't sound like much of a request. "Sure." Deidara mumbled and fell into the couch. There were a few aspects of his situation with Itachi that he really, REALLY didn't want to tell Naruto.

Naruto decided to sit on the opposite side of the same sofa, facing Deidara with his knees drawn up. He had a too-large tee on and some sleep pants. He would generally look adorable if it wasn't for the shifting eye color and the slight points of his ears and teeth. "I'm guessing this didn't start on New Year's eve, huh?"

"Uh, no." Deidara shifted as he was analyzed. Why was he suddenly so nervous?

"So when did it start?" Naruto asked softly, genially, and Deidara was quite afraid to lie so he looked around the room before replying.

"The day of Pinky's funeral."

Indigo/Plum colored eyes narrowed. "Oh? I'm interested how that happened."

Uh Oh, he was treading on dangerous ground. "Well, it really started the night of the gala when I met them, or more specifically Itachi." Naruto nodded slowly, a sign to continue. The assassin sighed. "I noticed he was looking for something, and I asked if it was the reptile scent I kept smelling."

Naruto's head lolled to the side in thought. "I remember that, I just thought it was one of the guests. I've been around quite a few reptilian infused…people. It's somewhat popular in Otogakure."

"Yeah, well, it seemed I was right. He was looking for whoever the snake was, plus…." Deidara tapered off. He wasn't sure how to continue or if what he was going to say would push Naruto into the deep end. He didn't know what exactly to do to make Naruto normal if he went Kyuubi.

"Plus what, Deidara?" Naruto was getting impatient. More because of his bodyguard's reactions that for any real want of the information. Deidara's trepidation was making him suspicious.

"…..plus I had smelled death that night. I said as much to Itachi and he became sorta….fidgety, anxious, I don't know."

"What do you mean you smelled death?" Was practically growled out. "On Sakura specifically?"

Deidara shook his head hurriedly. "No, no. I would have told you if I did. I didn't know who or what was going to die. Itachi seemed to be having a silent freak-out so I thought it was connected to him. It turned out to be Pinky…." He finished in a mumble.

Naruto took nice long, deep breaths. He waited until that tar-like heat that was creeping up his belly dissipated. "Then what?" He whispered.

Deidara watched him closely. "He was certain whatever it was, was after his brother for some reason. We struck a deal. I would find whoever the snake was if Itachi would go out on a date with me."

Naruto raised a brow at Deidara and the assassin flushed just the slightest. "A date?" He asked skeptically.

"Look, that's what I said, he took it the wrong way or whatever but….that's not the point. I saw them watching the funeral from a few blocks away and I went over to them and that's when," He made a blasé hand gesture. "this started." He hoped against hope that Naruto would just leave it at that.

"Okay, so this reptile is what killed Sakura? And you are supposed to be finding it? Is this what I'm hearing?" Naruto asked in a deceptively calm voice.

Deidara waited a moment to process things before giving a soft, "Yea, I guess."

"And you weren't planning on telling me?" was whispered.

"No, not unless I caught him. If I did, I would tell you then."

The Intended narrowed his eyes even further. "That's fucked up Dei, you know we've been looking for-"

"Look, Naruto, this isn't even anywhere near what you think it is. This shit….this shit is….I can't even explain it man. She wasn't killed by someone looking for money or-or anything even _connected_ to her. She wasn't even given that respect. Just—trust me. Okay? Just trust me on this?"

"Trust you?" Naruto asked a bit bewildered. Why couldn't they just bring this up to Baa-chan and the investigators?

"Yea," Deidara sat up and looked earnestly at his charge. "Just let me do this. There's a lot more riding on this than you think, and it's important that this guy, he NOT know I'm onto him."

"What else is at stake? What does this have to do with the Uchiha?"

"Itachi is convinced that the creep is after Sasuke which, he is, by the way."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "After Sasuke? Why? And you do know Sasuke is an assassin right? I'm sure he can handle himself."

"That's what I'm thinking too but the way Itachi's acting, there must be something else to it. And as far as I can tell the reptile creep wants to rape him before killing him. He's already done the same to one other woman I found in the West side and who knows how many others I haven't found. This shit, Naruto this shit is really icky. There's something else going on that Itachi's not telling me. A piece of the puzzle that would explain why he can't just send Sasuke to deal with the creep himself."

Naruto sat back and thought. "So this is a commission from Itachi. Does Sasuke know about it?"

"No." The other blonde shook his head. "That's the thing; Itachi was very explicit in making sure I understood Sasuke was not to be told under any circumstances. He doesn't even want Sasuke to know we're fucking."

Naruto sighed. "That's probably for the best. They both have such brother complexes and I'd rather Sasuke _not_ try to kill you." He rubbed his temples to alleviate tension. "And you?" He looked pointedly at the other. "You're taking sex as payment for your services? Itachi is actually whoring himself to you?" This struck a cord with him. Why did it seem that is always came down to that? Money and Sex? Was this what he was going to have to do? That even someone as powerful as Uchiha Itachi used his own body get things done…. Was this really something Naruto would have to do too? He quailed at the thought; he didn't want to. He really, really, didn't want to.

Deidara was flushing. "It's not so much—well yeah, it is sex, but….Ilikehimtoo." The last was rushed out.

Naruto raised his head again and felt his mouth quirk up. "Oh? You actually like him?" Deidara flailed a bit but didn't answer. "Still, Dei, the fact that you're chasing Sakura's killer….you should have told me."

"Naruto," Deidara pleaded. "just let me do this. Please. I'm onto him and I've got something in the works. Just let me do my own thing, please? I promise to keep you posted."

Naruto thought for a moment before relenting. "Alright, on one condition." When Deidara nodded quickly he held up a finger, gravely. "Anything and everything you find out about the Uchiha, you let me know. Understood?"

That request would have seemed odd, if the assassin hadn't already known about the littlest Uchiha and his charge. Now, it just seemed reasonable. "Fair enough. You got it boss." Deidara gave a small salute, before standing and making his way to the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Danzo's fists shook with his fury, as he gripped the glossy brochure of the International Conference on Science and Medicine. This was a ploy. A blatant declaration of war against his agenda. Discuss Jinchuurki, would they? He had no doubt it would be to raise suspicion against his decree that the INDO program was necessary for the safety of Konoha. He gnashed his teeth with his pent up hatred and frustration. Minato had always defied him and now even the boy too? After he had just graced him with time to work out his personal problems, he goes and decides to show his defiance in this irrevocable manner? This was his answer to Danzo's gracious offer? The little shit!<p>

Danzo slammed his fist upon his lacquered tea table, in the darkness of his dimly lit office. "Fu!" He barked out. Yamanaka Fu materialized out of the darkness, bowed and awaiting orders. "Take Torune and, I don't care where he is, or what he's doing, you find Sai and bring him to me. Now." Danzo cursed Tsunade a thousand times over, for her getting her greedy hands on his best ROOT agent. It would certainly take both Fu and Torune to capture one such as Sai. The ANBU nodded and disappeared.

He seethed and planned his response to his dear future Hokage's declaration. He would wait a while before using the heavily trafficked nine o'clock news to make a very important public service announcement. There he would expose Haruno Sakura, her choices and the punishment for traitors of the state. Of course this was the opposite effect that dissolving someone from history should have, but that was hardly the point any longer. He would shame her, her name, and her legacy, for all to see. And then, he would remind the public of the _close_ relationship the golden boy had with such an ugly blight upon Konoha. He was sure this wouldn't do much to Naruto's approval ratings, but the point was to humiliate him. Besides, Danzo wanted the little blonde haired idiot as Hokage. Oh, yes. For how else would he have such complete control and access to him?

* * *

><p>Hinata was sure, even three days later, that she was going to die from embarrassment. When Neji wasn't shooting himself with disapproving looks, he was aiming them at her. She had little to no recollection of the happenings that night past taking two, or three? Hmmm….three pulls from the ornate hookah and the room spinning and the colors becoming brighter and, and…Kiba. Ugh, it wasn't that she didn't like Kiba, well…as a friend she just would never, NEVER have given him her <em>virginity<em>. Oh the very thought brought such shame, and regret, and nausea upon her she just wanted to run from the world and hide under her blanket. And this is _before_ she remembered that Naruto…Naruto had seen…..EVERYTHING.

Hinata stopped to take her own pulse, sure she was going into cardiac arrest. Oh dear Kami above, was there no redo button, even for those truly good girls in life, who never did anything? She could feel the tears coming again.

Until her cousin burst into her room. "Stop your moping!" He immediately began pacing large circles in her plush lavender carpet. She raised her head heaven-ward. Could she not even mope in peace? "Don't take that tone with me." Neji snapped. Hinata was fairly certain she hadn't spoken. "I've tried to forget about it, tried to ignore it, act like it never happened, everything! I can't take it anymore, I simply _must_ talk to _someone_ about it! And you're it!" He faced her with a determined expression. Hinata simply did not want to have this discussion. Did not. "Too bad, dear cousin." Neji's telepathy was getting better. That or he read her face perfectly. He sighed, sitting on her bed and taking both her hands. "Look, I know you don't want to talk about it, but can you just…listen to me? Please?"

Hinata sniffled and looked at pale, watery lavender eyes. Eyes just like her own. She nodded in a morose fashion. Neji did so much for her, she could at least listen to him when he needed it. "Alright." She lilted, tucking herself in her covers, prepared to be uncomfortable.

"Okay." There was silence for a moment or two. "So New Year's eve was….honestly, amazing for me. I know it wasn't for you but…well it was really good for me." A small flush covered his cheeks and Hinata raised a deep plum purple brow.

"How do you mean _good_?"

Neji bit his lip. "Okay, so are we agreeing to never, NEVER, tell anyone outside this room what happened?"

Hinata's eyes went wide; she thought that went without saying! "Yes, of course!" She hurried out.

"Well, Gaara and I had sex." He breathed out and after a moment forced himself to make eye-contact with his equally blushing cousin. "Really, really good sex."

"Neji, Oh Kami, how do you know what good sex is? Have you had sex without telling me?!" Hinata was instantly offended.

"Well, no, but I've fooled around like…a lot." He held up placating hands quickly. "I really didn't think to tell you because I thought you would be…I don't know uncomfortable talking about it."

"Of course not! How long have you been, you know, fooling around?"

"Eh…" Neji made a face and waved his hand in a blasé manner. "Five or six years."

Hinata's gasp was long and pronounced. "Neji! The council would absolutely disown you if this ever got out!"

"That's why I stuck to mostly guys, but there have been a few girls." Hinata opened her mouth to continue expressing how absolutely affronted she was when Neji interrupted. "This isn't the point right now! The point is, New Year's eve, Hinata! That was the best sex I've ever had or probably ever will have!"

There was more silence.

"Well, you like him, right? Gaara-san, I mean?" Hinata inquired softly.

Neji sighted, "Yeah, and Naruto called me and told me I was absolutely forbidden to say anything to anyone who wasn't there that night. He even said he wouldn't forgive me if I did."

Hinata frowned; Naruto not forgiving someone was a rare thing indeed. "It must be serious."

Neji nodded. "Gaara's probably in the same boat we are, maybe more so. But…I want it again, oh Kami I want it soooo bad." Neji hung his head and Hinata rubbed his back supportingly.

"Well, since you guys have already…you know, once, maybe he'll do it again with you?"

Neji sighed. Sometimes his cousin could get cheeky like everyone else and then sometimes she was just too…. "No, I'm sure he won't. He probably won't even speak to me."

There was silence once again.

"What was it like? I….I don't really remember New Year's."

Neji licked his lip at the memory. "That night…"

_He could feel the gritty resistance of the sand shackling his wrists and hands to the floor above him. He panted as the lights and colors and sounds all washed in and out like the tide. But one thing remained constant; those yellowed eyes and sharp teeth above him. "Please," he panted out. He rolled his head in an unfocused gesture that helped and soothed nothing. His dark hair was loose, sticking to his body with sweat. "Please, more, I want it." _

_The body above him moved. A dark chuckled sounded. "Beg for it." _

_Neji could feel small claws raking down his chest, kissing his hips and pelvis, before starting back up again. The hot, wetness around his dick clenched intermittently. Neji tried to buck his hips, but Gaara was physically stronger than him. Right now, anyway. "Please, please." He said again, struggling against the sand to no avail. He forced his hazy vision to the blood haired specter above him. Gaara's cat yellow eyes watched him like prey. Red lips and a multitude of pointy teeth smirked down in a true display of superiority. _

_A texture tongue roved over Gaara's many teeth and nicked itself carelessly until small rivulets escaped the smirking mouth. "Beg more." Gaara commanded. And yet he rolled his hips, his tunic mostly open down the front and slipping off one of his slim shoulders. _

_Neji was sure he was dying. He was going to die. He was going to die if Gaara didn't move faster, harder, __**more**__. "Gaara. Gaara." He intoned. There were no other words to properly express his desperation. _

"_Hmmm." The sadist leaned forward, slipping Neji out of him mostly, before clenching his muscles hard. The brunet moaned pitifully and loudly. "I do love your voice." The Kazekage whispered down into his lips. "Again. Beg my name again." He let his claws trace the well-defined chest under him as he pushed himself up. Gaara took extra pleasure in bouncing harshly against the Hyuuga's canting hips, stopping randomly just let the lustful pleading of his name wash over him and tingle up his spine. The power he felt watching the muscles strain on that beautiful body, the hair thrashed about in frustration and pleasure, the desperation on that usually smug face. It all made Gaara want to __**really**__ let his Ichibi out._

_Neji wished he could see more of that body. He wished he could see Gaara's swollen cock bounce against his pelvis every time he slammed himself down. He could feel it, but that thrice damned tunic was in the way, and for some reason he couldn't find the words in his delusion addled brain to request its immediate destruction. "Uhhahgh!" He felt his back bowing under his oncoming orgasm, until Gaara sat and stopped moving altogether. "Nonono. Please, Gaara please." This was like the fourth or ninth time. He pushed his hips up, but knees dug themselves under his ribs in punishment, so Neji let himself go lax as was bidden. He whined and shuddered and pleaded while the madman above him cackled. _

"_Not yet, Neji. I want to hear you beg me again."_

Hinata stared at him like a deer in headlight, while Neji flushed silently. "So…" She eventually began. "Did you…you know…?"

"Huh?" After some gesturing, Neji caught on. "Oh, yes, like, after all night. I passed out right after."

"Ah, so Gaara-san is really, um…forceful?"

Neji licked his lips. "He's absolutely, dreadfully, sadistic. And now, after he tortured me in a drug-induced high for hours and hours after taking my virginity, he won't even talk to me." Neji sighed. "I think the problem is he hadn't ever had sex before that night. You know, Kazekage laws and such."

"He probably doesn't know you were a virgin too. If you tell him, maybe he'll feel like you guys have some common ground. Especially if you promise to never say anything about it."

That was a good idea. "Hmm, I will. Or rather, I would. But I can't tell him, if I can't talk to him."

"Get Naruto-kun to tell him." Hinata suggested, flushing even at the mention of Naruto. "He'll explain things if you ask him to. You know Naruto-kun loves to help people. Especially when you _really_ like Gaara-san."

Neji sighed and laid out next to his cousin. She copied, and faced him. "I'll try." Neji said, not feeling very optimistic. Something about the way everyone had split on New Year's day made everything seem so…final.

Hinata took his hand in hers and gave a small smile. "Don't worry Neji, Naruto will help you. I think it'll all work out in the end."

Neji wished he believed the same.

* * *

><p>Tsunade sighed into her vanity, pulling the pins out of her pale blonde hair and letting it flow freely. She fingered her face, feeling her age for once in a long time. Had they really made the best choice in pushing out the invitations before everything was even finalized? Kakashi had plainly told her that there was very little that was absolute about hosting so many Jinchuuriki in one place, and short of forcing inhumane jutsus on them, it was simply going to be a liability. One at the expense of her citizens. And Konoha had many enemies that would certainly take the opportunity to enact some type of plan. She sighed again, letting her head fall into her hands as they rested on the countertop. Strong hands appeared on her shoulders, kneading in a calm, steady fashion.<p>

"Don't stress so much Tsunade; you'll give yourself a heart attack and then where will I be?"

She gave a breathless chuckle. "Selfish bastard. Are you all you're worried about?"

Jiraiya snorted, but didn't stop his mission to relax her shoulders. "Ha! If I don't worry about me, no one will!"

She smiled into the vanity. "You know that's not true."

Jiraiya hummed before looking up, his hands stilling. "I promise everything will be fine, Tsunade. Have a little faith in me. Have I ever broken a promise?"

Tsunade's breath caught as she stared into his black eyes, such soulful black eyes. They brought with them both pain and joy. She found her own gaze watering. Not even when he promised impossibly, that they would find Naruto, that they would bring him back….not even then had he broken his promise. His first promise to her, to take care of her after Dan's death, he still kept to this very day. She nodded, smiling through nostalgic tears. "Alright. I'll just believe that you'll figure something out."

He nodded staunchly. "Good. Now, are too tired to come to bed?"

Normally a sentence like that wouldn't make sense, but as his large, rough hands dipped into the collar of her robe and began to push it off her shoulders, she thought it made perfect sense. She let a small smirk appear. "Ne, old man, I don't think it's me that'll be too tired tomorrow."

"Ahh, tis true." Jiraiya said admiring her ample, naked breasts through the mirror. "You do know how to wear a man out."

* * *

><p>"Aaaah," Sasuke moaned as he double fisted himself, laid out on his back in his shower, with scalding water pouring out onto him from multiple luxurious showerheads. Classic rock blared loudly from the surround sound speakers set about his entire suite. He canted his hips up, smashing his fists down and running his tongue against the sharp edges of his teeth, imagining it was that long, textured tongue of Naruto's. "Fuck," He groaned, his Sharingan spinning as he tried desperately to access more of his hazy locked memories of that night. He could see the red eyes, and the long tongue that never seemed to be all the way in his mouth. He could feel the pinned wrists he held captive against the tiled kitchen floor. The picture fuzzed out until he saw another; Naruto arched ridiculously with his glossy black claws wrapped around Sasuke's biceps while the Uchiha….it fuzzed away again.<p>

Sasuke groaned, his orgasm denied again. "Fuck, come on, come on. Please." He even whimpered. It was as if his body remembered but his mind didn't and his body just wasn't satisfied if the blonde wasn't there. There would be no substitute for Naruto, not even his hands. "Ugh!" Sasuke tightened his grip in frustration, determined to be rid of this hard-on he'd had for approaching two hours.

Suddenly, the fight left him. He slumped back down and panted in defeat. He relaxed his muscles and just thought of Naruto. Of his scent, the way his pupils elongated, the way his blonde lashes would darken. That sound that would be half purr, half growl. Even the night of the experiment, just a few days ago, when he'd rocked his hips into Sasuke's begging expertly, yet wordlessly. A memory surfaced. A look Naruto had given him on New Year's, after he had already taken five or six long drawls of that hookah, and Sasuke had had just as many, the blonde had been exhaling thick purplish smoke, looking right at him. Those eyes had slid down over him. Undressing him, devouring him, scalding him. They had hardly been blue any longer. They were half-lidded portals into such tumultuous, virile and well hidden sexuality, that when the portals _did_ open, Sasuke could hardly control his own reactions. In the end he doubted many people would believe him when he said that Naruto had been the one to seduce him. The blonde had stood, licked his lips and then strutted slowly around the sofa, down the hall and leaned into the kitchen doorway before looking back and _demanding _Sasuke follow with those eyes.

Sasuke felt his breath hitch just remembering, his belly heated, and coiled the more he allowed himself to focus on those eyes. Just the eyes. He gripped his own dark, wet hair and arched as his dick throbbed and smacked against his belly. "_Naruto"_ he moaned, reliving that look, the tingles it had given him, the pleasure he had felt to be the sole recipient. And when Sasuke had approached the kitchen, that growl of approval and the arrogant tip of that blonde head had—

Sasuke moaned loudly in his orgasm, both hands tearing at his scalp, his back arched to its limits, his mouth open, collecting water, knees bent and his toes curling against the surface of the shower. He could feel his own ejaculate reach all the way to his chin, somehow hotter than the near scalding shower water.

Afterwards he slumped in a semi-paralysis and analyzed his own state of mind. Just what the fuck was really wrong with him? Something….something was really wrong with him. He slicked his hair back out of his face with a shaky hand and a shaky arm, and shaky legs spazmed when he tried to move them. Had he really cum that hard? He huffed out an incredulous laugh that turned a little hysterical before dying abruptly. His Aniki was near. He contemplated the effort it would take to actually get up and apparently even that took to long for Itachi's liking.

"Must you play your music to such an ungodly volume? And why are you laying in the shower? If you wished for a bath, would you not just take a bath?" The elder was well and truly perplexed as he watched his drugged looking younger brother just stare back at him.

"Aniki." Sasuke sounded grave.

Itachi knelt next to him, head tilted slightly to the side, slender dark eyes showing blatant confusion. "Yes, Otouto?"

"I think I'm in love with Naruto."

* * *

><p><strong>[AN] Aaaand there you have it. REVIEW and perhaps I'll have the next chapter up before the end of March. Next chappie; the shit begins to hit the fan. Ciao, lovelies. **


	10. Chapter 10

**[A/N] So, I had to make a hard decision. I don't like posting chapters less than 10K, its my way of making the suuuuper long waits worth it, but this was just getting ridiculous. So I decided to post this chapter even though its HALF of my usual quantity. To put is simply, I'm running out of steam. No lie. I know this has quite a few devoted followers so you guys just let me know what you think and I'll try to stay inspired.**

* * *

><p><strong>Subduing a Fox<strong>

**Chapter Ten**

"You are not in love, Otouto." Itachi insisted once he'd gotten his strangely absent little brother out of the scalding shower and sitting on his bed. The music had been killed. Itachi himself wasn't particularly sure what Sasuke was but he was certain it wasn't love. It was too quick to be love. "You are…" Itachi waved his hand, searching for the correct word. "…infatuated. You're smitten by him and honestly," The elder sighed and sat next to the younger. "I'm not surprised. He is…let's call it effervescent. That's not something you are in contact with often as we are both pragmatic and somewhat malefic." Sasuke's eyes widened and snapped to his Aniki's. Itachi shrugged. "It comes with the namesake. The point is, we are susceptible to naturally kind-hearted people. We subconsciously seek them to….balance us. However, it does not mean you are in love with that person. You may just realize you actually want him as a friend. Neither you nor I have many, if any, of those."

Everything seemed completely logical coming from Itachi's naturally soft spoken bass. Sasuke could feel his heart rate slowing. Still…."I don't know Aniki. I—my body," Sasuke blushed and fumbled, but pushed through his embarrassment. "I can't—It's only Naruto now Aniki. Do you understand?" When Itachi's slightly tilted head and blank face remained so, Sasuke sighed. "Well, I can understand if you don't, being abstinent and all, but I don't think it's normal for one person to all of a sudden stop being aroused by usual things and focus solely on one other person. That—that has to be some type of indication of something."

Itachi kept very still and regulated his breathing. He always hated lying to his Otouto, it never got any easier. "Right, well, I suppose I might not understand. But Sasuke, that still may simply be an indication of infatuation. Once you have him, you probably won't feel so strongly anymore." He could see he wasn't really convincing his younger brother which was actually worrying him. Sasuke wasn't one to go pronouncing lasting feelings for anything more than his car and Itachi himself. "Just give yourself some time before you start rushing to put a name on things, claiming they are love. Besides what would you do with it? Love is somewhat useless; in my opinion it's better to discard it all together."

This, Sasuke decided, was somewhat true.

* * *

><p>Deidara walked into the condo and shivered as the heat began to flood into his bones. Casing the derelict looking house in the West side fringes was hard work. He never approached from the same angle wearing the same clothing. He'd had to pay a few drug lords to rent out their property for a few weeks, and dealing with them was headache inducing. He always had to cover his hair and winter was more than a little annoying when stake outs required you to be still for long periods of time. But he was happy; it was only three weeks since he was given his assignment and he was making great progress. He had a basic outline and timeline for the big boom. He sighed in contentment. It was going to be a fantastic display.<p>

He hung his coat up and took of his boots before walking into the tastefully colorful living room. His charge looked like he was doing homework, being hunched over a book and muttering that he was, so Deidara declined greeting him and flopped himself on the couch. The great thing about Naruto was he was totally fine with Deidara blasting an action movie while he was trying to do homework. How he was able to focus, the elder blonde didn't know but he damn sure didn't complain.

Fifteen minutes in and it looked like there wasn't anything actually worth watching. It was getting late so he was actually tempted to just go shower and call it a night. Doubtlessly Naruto would want to work out in the mornings and his extra commission was wearing on him a bit so he could do with some rest. He was just deciding to forfeit any entertainment with one last push on the channel button when Pandora's Box opened.

An smartly dressed anchor woman's voiced blared: "For those of you who missed it; earlier this evening Head Chairman Shimura Danzo gave a provocative media conference sentencing former Assistant Chief of Medicinal and Health Regulations, Haruno Sakura, who died just over a month and a half ago, to post-mortem banishment after releasing incriminatory evidence of Haruno engaging in fraudulency, insider trading, blackmail, fixing, bribery and worst of all, selling sensitive state information to the highest bidder. Many people are speculating if her great involvement in all these manners of corruption is the reason behind her death. A death Chairman Shimura is claiming was far more _gruesome_ than publicly declared. An interesting point brought to our attention is that at the time of death, Haruno Sakura was _worth over nine point twenty one million_, all of which she left to her childhood friend, Intended Hokage Uzumaki Naruto. Chi, knowing where all that money has come from, how do you think this will affect the polls for Uzumaki-san?" The anchor woman turned to her co-host but Deidara was lost on the rest of the conversation.

He hadn't heard him move, but as Deidara slowly turned his head, there standing behind the couch was Naruto staring at the screen. Wide, bluer than blue eyes had a shaking blown pupil. Beside his eyes, Naruto was completely still. As Deidara watched, he became utterly sure that the other wasn't even breathing. The assassin swallowed, understanding he seriousness an suddenness of the situation, and took a shallow breath before calling softly. "Naruto." The blown pupils fixed on him and for the first time since knowing him, Deidara was actually afraid of the younger male. He pushed on, "Naruto, you have to calm down before you—" Whatever else he was meant to say was aborted as instincts called his arms up to protect him from the backlash.

Deidara felt himself soar weightlessly for just a moment before he was crashing into something hard. Was it the television? Or a wall? A pain raced up his back and hips and realized there was glass stuck there. He barely had time to orient himself and roll out of the way before the large wooden book shelf crashed next to him. He pushed himself up to an empty apartment and a huge hole where his favorite living room window used to be. Naruto was a blur of red moving way too quickly away from the apartment. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." Deidara was so confused he literally turned in a circle before spotting a sleek black device. Naruto's cellphone. He was grabbing it before he really knew why, and leapt out of the new apartment entrance in pursuit.

A few hand signs and he reached under his hair to his covered eye, peeled it open with two fingers and commanded chakra fused clay to evacuate and transform into a large bird that was way faster than he could go on foot. It flapped away, attempting to reach Naruto before Naruto reached whoever he was after while Deidara worked the other blonde's phone. His consciousness caught up with his subconscious as soon as he eyed Kakashi's name in contacts. They had a brief, mostly one sided and panicked conversation, of which Deidara had no clue what was said, before he was forced to hang up; Naruto had reached his destination.

Deidara wasn't sure what to do. He stood on his clay bird totally motionless as he watched Naruto clear through ANBUROOT agents like they were nothing. If he had to guess, they were at Shimura Danzo's house, but the man hadn't made an appearance yet and the agents were doing all they could to keep Naruto from storming the large official looking manor. Finally when there were about a couple dozen black-clad bodies on the ground, Danzo himself hobbled out, wide-eyed and enraged. Deidara wasn't sure if the agents were dead or not; as while Naruto hadn't_ looked_ like he was trying to kill them, he was certain the kid hadn't been pulling his…chakra.

"Danzo!" Naruto screamed in a duel voice that really didn't sound all that human. Deidara decided then to swoop down and assess his charge. He hazarded placing his hand on one slender shaking shoulder to help him calm enough where he could speak. Naruto took deeper breaths and struggled to maintain some semblance of control. In just those few moments, more agents arrived to stand behind Danzo in a protective formation. "You said I had time!" _Time? _Deidara wondered as he applied a slight bit of pressure to let Naruto know he was there and keep him in control of his faculties. " Why would you do this before calling me to make your request!? Or get my answer!? You said I had time! How could you do that to her? HOW?!"

Danzo sneered. "She was a traitorous whore you sniveling little shit. What do you mean _how_; it was easy."

Deidara had to hop back as Naruto's chakra burst as he dropped his jaw and roared.

* * *

><p><em>So this is the feeling of annoyance.<em> Sai wondered as yet again another one of his ink clones dissolved after being touched by Fu. The man was hoping to get close enough to mindprint on Sai and Sai was quite adamant that he not. He wasn't too sure where Torune was, having lost track of him, but he wasn't that concerned. The man didn't know that Sai had been vaccinated for every type of known poison in the world. Sai was waiting to fall into his trap so he could effectively kill him in one blow. Torune was a mid-range fighter so he was sure he wouldn't have a problem.

No, the only problem would be if they had a water based ROOT agent around somewhere that Sai _didn't_ know about, since his ink was naturally weak against water types. He paused long enough to make five more ink clones, sent them out at the Fu clones and then continued to run through the woods of East Konoha.

An explosive tag whizzed by his face and he abruptly leapt to the left to avoid the explosion and landed right into the arms of another Fu clone. He really hadn't been expecting that. The tanto in his hand sliced upward, disconnecting him just before the link settled and way before he hit the ground. Sai could hear a kunai coming in his direction but had nothing to push off of and only gravity acting on him; he was a sitting duck. So when the kunai landed deep in his right thigh and he saw the tag he braced himself for the pain and used his tanto to catch the outer ring and flick the kunai out his flesh. It helped; the explosion happened in front of him, instead of on his leg and he was able to create three more clones and escape again.

Sai realized that Torune must have a way of seeing which of him were clones and dealing with them, while Fu kept track of the real him. That was the only way to explain why making clones wasn't slowing them down at all. He really needed to kill Torune. Like now.

Abruptly Sai changed directions and whipped out a small scroll. He bit his thumb and summoned a large ink hawk. Fu's hair was a bright orange, so it was easy to spot him. It was Torune who's dark hair would blend in well and make it difficult to pick him out of the trees. He summoned three different ink tigers and let them loose. They're only function was to avoid traps and find Torune. It took a few more minutes of evasive maneuvers and more ink beasts before he felt a ping in his brain and had the precise location of Torune. The two agents had decided they were better together now that Torune's location had been found and were running toward each other.

Sai leapt off the hawk, saw Fu see him and make an effort to speed up but he wasn't going to make it. Torune was literally a few yards away from Fu when Sai landed, his tanto streaking from Torune's shoulder to his opposite hip, bisecting the other ROOT agent. Sai stood over the two pieces, favoring his right leg and facing Fu who, despite all his ROOT training, was finding it hard to dismiss the fact that his partner of over twenty years lay in pieces in front of him.

Sai watched Fu's lips tick. He saw the amber eyes tear up even though the face remained mostly even. _So that is grief._ Or as close as a veteran ROOT agent was going to get. "I'm going to disobey Danzo-sama's orders." Fu said quietly.

Sai's head tilted slightly to the left. "And what were those?"

"I'm going to kill you." Was the response.

Sai sincerely doubted it.

* * *

><p>Even a few weeks after the <em>'incident' <em> as Sasuke referred to it, and the brunet was still a bit embarrassed and anxious. Nothing had changed. He'd attempted to fuck a few different type of people, men, women, preppy do-gooders, skanky worldly kind. He'd even seduced a mousy looking guy volunteering at one of those stupid save-the-children fundraisers just to not even be able to get it up. He was thoroughly disgusted with himself as well as just about reaching his limit. Either he was going to find someone who was a suitable replacement for the fucking fox, or he was going to show up at Naruto's condo and actually fuck the fox.

"Aniki." Sasuke greeted as he entered the dining room. Itachi was eating dinner, a maid standing attentively a few paces behind him. He nodded at another wait staff and sat adjacent to his elder brother as they brought out crockery and his entrée.

"Otouto, I was assuming you would be out tonight." Itachi politely inquired.

Sasuke grimaced. "No, it's pointless. Nothing's working, no one's working." He ran a hand over his face. "But enough of that, what's the status on the merger contract with that Otogakuran components manufacturer?"

It was Itachi's turn to grimace, though it was a thousand degrees less than what Sasuke produced. "It is as disgusting to deal with them as ever."

Sasuke began eating but took a moment to raise a brow at his brother. "I don't know why you don't just let me handle them if they creep you out so much. Even being under 'house arrest' I could still probably deal with them so you didn't have to. I'll just make sure they're the first one's I visit when the ban is lifted."

That, was the main reason Itachi never let Sasuke deal with any Oto contracts. His Otouto was strictly forbidden from even entering that country unless ordered to. "The require a delicate touch Sasuke." The elder took a sip of wine and looked to his Otouto with a small smile to soften the perceived slight. "There is a lot of history between our corporations and they are not motivated by the normal means. As unpleasant as it is, it is my duty to wade through the mire that is dealing with Otogakuran businessmen."

Sasuke snorted but shrugged it off. "As you say, Aniki. I just don't why—" He paused. Both of them did, and looked to each other.

Itachi set his glass down and they both stood. "If I am not mistaken that is Naruto's chakra signature but…"

Sasuke nodded in agreement and turned toward the direction it was coming from. It was fairly close by. He began moving to the window then lifted the pane and stepped out ground level. By the time he registered that his brother was with him, he was traveling top speed towards the angry bursting chakra.

The Uchiha skidded just into the outer ring of Shimura Danzo's property where they could see a glowing red ball and hear a deafening roar of "LIAR!"

They watched as Deidara went flying into the air, a large white bird swooping to catch him and circling back into place. Itachi had never seen this particular expression on the bodyguard's face. The elder blonde was panting, a bit bloody with two things sticking out of his back.

"Naruto!" He called bringing the bird a little lower to the ground. It was still impossible to see the figure beyond the bright orange, undulating flames of chakra. "Naruto you have to calm down!" He yelled before muttering a defeated "Fuck." After a moment he spotted two glowing pairs of Sharingan to his left, hidden in the tree-line, opened his mouth to call to them but another roar sounded.

"YOU TAKE IT BACK!" The duel voice was back and Deidara decided to just fuck it and leapt off the bird towards his charge.

He landed and wrapped his arms around the super-hot skin and chakra of the younger blonde. Amazingly, he wasn't attacked. "You have to calm down." He whispered in one of the pointed ears. He was oh, so grateful when it worked, even just a little.

"I will take back nothing, Uzumaki." Danzo gloated, seeming completely nonplussed by Naruto's display of power. "You gave me your response to my offer. This is your choice, not mine."

The chakra simmered down just a little more. "I did not!" The voice was no longer duel but it was rife with something else: anguish. "I didn't respond at all! I thought-I thought you would contact me! I waited for you to contact me!"

"Don't play stupid Uzumaki, blonde as you are, it doesn't suit you. This bit with the International Conference is not a coincidence, you know it, I know it." Danzo sneered at the deflating expression before him.

Naruto's insides quailed. He had forgotten about that completely. "I had nothing to do with that! I didn't-I didn't do that for—I was ready to accept!" He screamed. "I accept! Whatever you want, I'll agree to it!" He was crying now, he was sure of and the shame still was not enough to keep him from begging Danzo to just reconsider. He stepped forward out of Deidara's hold. "My body right?" He took another step, his chakra was completely gone, his eyes were there blue, blue selves. "You can have it." He croaked. "I'll give it to you, whenever, whatever, I don't care just, take it back. You have to go out there and take it back. Say it was a mistake, it was someone else, I don't care just…."

But Danzo was shaking his head. True it was a shame he had missed on the opportunity to sample such a delectable body, but this….This broken expression, the hoarse crying quality of his voice. This was nearly enough on its own. He tilted his chin up and smirked cruelly at the blonde. "What is done, is done Naruto. You should have thought of that when this little plot to usurp me came together. Now you will have to live with the fact that Haruno Sakura is and forever will be a traitor of the state, a faceless whore erased from history. And it is all your fault." Ah there, that expression of defeat, the acknowledgement that he had lost. Danzo wondered if he could get any harder from just the expression on Naruto's face. He decided to go for gold. "Just look at what you've done." He gestured a hand around to the many incapacitated men. Naruto looked around as if just realizing that they were there. "Look at what you're Jinchuuriki has done, dear Naruto. And you think you will be able to wiggle out of INDO?" Danzo laughed and nearly came when then the blonde wrapped his arms around himself and backed up into the arms of his bodyguard.

"Don't even fuckin' think of tryin' to bring this up!" Deidara's accent degenerated in his turbulence. "Not when you were black mailing him for sex you fuckin' corrupted freak. You bring this up I bring that up."

Danzo scowled at the bodyguard. "And just who is going to believe some foreigner that no one's ever heard before? That's not very convincing."

Deidara shook his head. "It's not just me, here."

Danzo was about to reply when the meaning of that struck him. He looked about and almost missed them, twin blazing Sharingans peering out from the darkness of the trees. They didn't say anything, but they didn't have to. Danzo sucked his teeth and gave an imperious wave. "Get him off my property, foreigner." But his hand fell when he took one last look at the beautiful and broken blonde boy.

His eyes were like slit, canine rubies and yet there was not malevolent storm of chakra. Deidara attempted to pull at him but gave up immediately, it was like trying to pull stone. He whispered and plied and finally was able to walk Naruto back enough towards his waiting clay bird, but the Intended never let his eyes leave Danzo's. It wasn't until Deidara lifted him on the bird that he spoke.

"I will never forgive you for this Danzo. Not ever."

It was enough that Deidara knew he would have nightmares for a few nights.

* * *

><p>The silent ride back to the condo helped to calm Deidara for two major reasons. One being Kakashi, who had spotted them and changed his trajectory to meet at Naruto's apartment. The other was a small sand golem in the form of a cute looking raccoon had attached itself to Naruto's shoulder, alerting them that Gaara would most likely be at the condo as well. There were two reasons that were putting him a bit on edge during the silent ride home and he could feel their fluorescent red eyes drilling a hole in his back from way down there. He decided to not worry about them, no doubt it was the youngest once again forcing the eldest to either come or leave the youngest unattended. The choice had clearly been made.<p>

What he wasn't prepared to feel was light headed. When he tried to voice this to Naruto he realized he had waited far too long and now the tunnel vision wasn't allowing him to move his muscles how he liked, that included speech. He was torn between figuring out why he was fainting and making sure his clay bird knew to take Naruto home whether he was conscious or not. And then he was slipping left before feeling, once again, the weightless feeling of free fall. The stars were really pretty.

Oh, Deidara knew the reason now. There was blood trailing him in the sky as he fell downward. Some glass must have knicked an artery somewhere and he hadn't realized it. Damn, adrenaline could be both a lifesaver and a curse.

"DEI!"

Oh, that was Naruto. Deidara wondered when he had closed his eyes. He was expecting to hit the ground; he wondered if it would make a boom sound at all. Even a small one? He wasn't expecting for something warm to catch him. But he recognized that scent, liked it a lot….loved it even.

Itachi kept pace with his brother; the surprisingly heavy bodyguard now slung on his back. "The bird hasn't slowed so it must be able to act independently." Sasuke noted. He was looking at the relieved face of Naruto. The poor blonde looked like he wouldn't be able to handle another thing life threw at him.

"It's not a summoned creature, but I'm guessing the wielder doesn't need to be conscious for it to fulfill it's mission." Itachi supplied. He was very curious about Deidara's arsenal of ninjustsu as he had yet to see anything.

"Definitely an earth technique." Sasuke looked over to his brother as they took to the tops of homes and apartment buildings. "Do you want me to carry him? He looks heavy." Indeed although the blonde and Itachi were nearly the same height, Deidara was more muscled and certainly had more mass.

"He weighs as much as a boulder." Itachi admitted, but he didn't pass him off to his Otouto. "He must be carrying something. No human his size should weight this much."

Sasuke took that for what it was and they continued the run before leaping and running up the high-rise to the conveniently placed hole in the wall of Naruto's apartment. The clay bird had shrunk to a size familiar to Itachi and was sitting on the counter. Naruto was on the floor, facing the hole, with the Kazekage pressing the weary blonde head to his chest.

Kakashi was quick to take Deidara from Itachi and begin administering first aid to the wounds. A little electricity to cauterize and he would be able to forgo the emergency room and wait until the bodyguard woke up to examine him.

Naruto sat there, against his best friend, and surveyed the damage done to his apartment. His couch was flipped over, the bookcase and all the books broken and scattered. The TV lay fallen and the glass entertainment system was broken and bloody. Naruto felt his stomach flip at the sight. He looked to Gaara, "Is my TV working?" He croaked out. Suddenly he needed to see it again, hear them again and know just what Sakura was condemned to.

"I don't know, but you should get some rest Naruto, not worry about that crap again." Gaara sounded strict but Naruto would do it himself if he needed to.

So he looked at Sasuke. "Can you see if my TV is working?" The Uchiha only hesitated a moment before going and tipping it up to assess the damage. He found the cord, plugged it back in and pressed the power button on the side. Suddenly Naruto wasn't so sure if it was a good idea. The same news channel was on, the same anchor woman; it hadn't even been long enough for there to be a new segment?

The Anchor Woman said: "I just think that knowing what type of person she was, shouldn't we be a little more skeptical about the company she kept? If the company happened to be the Intended Hokage, we shouldn't shy away from true investigative journalism." She smiled at her co-host.

The co-host smiled back: "Laila, you can't be seriously trying to implicate Uzumaki Naruto! He's the most loved Intended since—"

Anchor Woman Laila: "Nine point twenty one million is a lot of money; wouldn't you say, Chi?" She said with a quirk.

The Co-host Chi gasped exaggeratedly: "Laila no! You have to remember that Uzumaki-san is wealthy enough in his own right. Besides the man in _known_ for throwing away his money to so many charitable foundations it's hard to keep track of. It would be absolutely ridiculous to assume he would have had some part in Haruno Sakura's murder over money."

Anchor Woman Laila wagged her finger: "Being beneficiary means he wouldn't have to do the dirty work and he could keep his hands clean and keep his façade of charity work, while Haruno made the real money. Then, all of a sudden our ACMHR is dead, we don't even really know how, and our Intended Hokage is nearly nine and a half million richer. That doesn't scream conspiracy to you?"

Naruto had thought he had no energy left, nothing to give. But he found enough to boost himself up and run to the bathroom before he hurled all over his living room. "Turn that shit off." He could hear Gaara snarl, before the redhead was in the bathroom trying to calm him down. Naruto had thought he was just expelling waste, but no, he was sobbing into his toilet. Was that really what people thought? That _he_ had killed Sakura. He simply could not stomach the thought and was vomiting all over again. Gaara made some comforting noises while warm sand wrapped around his body and then he was once again sobbing into the Kazekage's chest. He didn't know for how long, but soon he was coached to rinse out his mouth and start to his bedroom. In the hallway he looked to his left to see three people standing there awkwardly and Deidara's bandaged body on the floor. He couldn't just leave when things were bad; that wasn't what a leader did.

Turning he addressed Kakashi first. "Thank you for your help, Kakashi-sensei. I'll see you tomorrow when I report to baachan. I want you to tell her to give it all away before noon tomorrow, have Neji figure who gets what." Kakashi wanted to protest but decided against it, nodded and then took his leave through the new door. Something switched Naruto's objectives and he turned to hug the smaller redhead to him. "Thank you Gaara. I'll see you tomorrow too. Okay?" He spoke softly to the head pressed against him. He felt it nod before the Kazekage stepped back and favored him with one last assessing glance. Then he was a river of sand flowing outside. He turned to the two Uchiha and the let his gaze rest on the elder. "I'd like to be alone with your brother."

Itachi looked at Sasuke, who was looking at Naruto, and then looked back to Naruto as well before looking down at Deidara. Seeing the larger blonde unconscious was oddly uncomfortable. "Take him." He heard, looked at Naruto and was surprised to see knowing in those blue orbs. He knew. He knew that Deidara and Itachi were intimate. In a way that was both stressful and relieving.

He looked back down and answered, careful to not seem to acquiescent to his brother. "As you wish." Before he made the long, drawn out hand signs, touched Deidara and performed a teleportation jutsu back to the manor.

Naruto stared at the brunet, who looked a little skittish.

Sasuke was left to deal with yet another side of Naruto he hadn't seen before. The blonde looked like shit. His eyes were puffy, his face miserable and he was leaning against the wall as if he didn't have enough energy to stand on his own. But his eyes were still those intense, endless pools of blue, blue.

Naruto turned back down the hall towards his bedroom. "Come." He entered and held the door open as Sasuke warily followed and closed the door behind him. Then he turned and shuffled to his bathroom, taking off his shirt on the way. He flicked the lights on and when to start a shower, conscious of those eyes watching him. The steam started immediately from his three shower heads and he calmly slipped both his pants and boxers down his legs, before entering in the shower. His feet were filthy and, at one point, bloody from his run to Danzo's manor. But they had long healed and he relished the head of the water soothing them. He turned to face the open shower door and his guest. He tilted his head slightly and spoke, his voice hoarse from his misery. "Aren't you coming?"

* * *

><p>Kakashi was back at city hall on the phone with one pissed Shikamaru. "This is going to be impossible to clean up. At least the way Naruto would have us do it."<p>

Kakashi agreed. "Just do what you can, Shika-kun."

"I've already done what I can. Doesn't Naruto know that running through the city in a blazing ball of chakra is _going_ to get noticed? He wasn't even the least bit subtle."

"They aren't taking any suggestions from the Hokage office?"

"Not unless we throw in an interview. I just know that's not going to happen and I wouldn't want to be the one asking Naruto." Shikamaru sighed.

This was true. "Fine, just issue a gag order. It was business of the state."

"Naruto's not going to like that. He says free speech is free speech whether we like it or not."

"Yeah, well we can't give Danzo anymore ammunition, so gag them. Tell them to run the fact that one news channel disgusted Naruto so much he doesn't want anything to do with them ever again and is giving away every cent from Sakura's fortune."

"He is? Disgusted I mean."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, if only to contain his own temper. "You didn't see some of the shit they said Shika. You tell them to run that story and they'll spend the rest of the month trying to figure out who it is."

"Got it." There was a pause. "I'll put Ino on the charities, she'll probably talk to the Hyuuga. Maybe she'll make a function out of it, I think he needs some good press. Especially with the Conference coming in about three weeks."

"Yeah, yeah, you work your magic. I'm going in to see the old woman now." They hung up and Kakashi prepared himself to tell Tsunade that her god-child had run amok around the city, probably threatened Danzo and he was too slow to get there on time, before becoming so miserable at the conspiracy stories being pushed that he puked and is probably crying himself to sleep. He was glad he was still in uniform, because with Tsunade, the messenger was always open season.

* * *

><p><strong>[AN] Here we are folks. Review. Ciao.**


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